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Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., older brother of two-time Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, and an F1 racer in his own right, has died in his native Sao Paulo at the a…
Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., the older brother of two-time Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, has passed away in Sao Paulo at the age of 80. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Wilson worked his way up to Formula 1, starting in karts and Formula Vee in Brazil before heading to Europe to pursue his racing ambitions. In 1972, he secured an F1 opportunity with Brabham, achieving a notable third-place finish in his debut race in Brazil, although it was a non-championship event that year. His best official F1 result was a fifth place at the 1973 German Grand Prix. Wilson took a break from driving at the end of the 1973 season to establish Copersucar Fittipaldi with Emerson, becoming the first and only Brazilian F1 team to date. Although Wilson drove for the team in 1975, his notable finish was 10th at the United States GP. Emerson replaced Wilson as a driver in 1976, and Wilson transitioned to team management, later racing in the Brazilian Stock Car Championship, achieving victories in the 1980s and ’90s. Wilson Fittipaldi is survived by his brother Emerson and son Christian, who also competed in F1 before embarking on a successful career in North American racing.
