BEYOND THE GRID LEGENDS: Emerson Fittipaldi on his ‘courage’ and ‘risk’ to become an F1 World Champion

Emerson Fittipaldi made history with Lotus in 1972 by becoming the first Brazilian to win the Formula 1 World Championship. In 1974, he won the title again with McLaren.

Fittipaldi’s achievements on track are legendary, but his actions off track are just as iconic.

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In a special F1 Beyond The Grid Legends episode, the Brazilian tells podcast host Tom Clarkson why he refused to take part in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, the extensive medical precautions he had in place during race weekends, and how he and some of the sport’s other big names at the time helped improve safety in the sport.

Fittipaldi also talks about leaving Brazil for the UK to pursue his racing career, forming his own Brazilian F1 team, and the incredible phone call he received from Enzo Ferrari after Niki Lauda’s serious accident in 1976.

Plus, which current F1 driver reminds the Brazilian of himself? What impresses him the most about Max Verstappen? And how does he view this year’s title battle between McLaren team mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris?

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To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.