Emerson Fittipaldi

Emerson Fittipaldi (December 12, 1946 - Present): A Brazilian racing driver, Emerson Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles in 1972 with Lotus and 1974 with McLaren. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Fittipaldi became the first Formula One World Champion from Brazil and the youngest champion at the time, setting a record that stood for 33 years. He competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980, winning 14 Grands Prix and achieving 35 podiums. Fittipaldi came from a motorsport family and began racing motorcycles and karts before moving to Europe to pursue single-seater racing.

After success in Formula Two, he made his Formula One debut with Lotus in 1970 as a third driver. Following the death of Jochen Rindt at Monza, Fittipaldi became Lotus's lead driver in only his fifth Grand Prix. At age 25, he won the 1972 World Championship with Lotus, becoming the youngest champion at that time. He moved to McLaren for 1974, winning the title once again and helping McLaren secure their first Constructors' Championship.

In 1976, Fittipaldi made the controversial decision to leave McLaren and join his brother Wilson's Fittipaldi Automotive team, but success eluded the family venture. He later found enormous success in American open-wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993 and the CART championship in 1989. Fittipaldi's success paved the way for future Brazilian Formula One legends including Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.