Fittipaldi recalls challenge of leaving McLaren to build his own F1 team

In a new interview, Emerson Fittipaldi recalls why he left McLaren to build his own Formula 1 team and the difficulties it faced in Brazil.

GPBeat · Newsroom03 Oct 2026, 19:23 · 1 min

Archive photograph, for illustration. Emerson Fittipaldi poses for a photograph in Miami in 2020. · Palácio do Planalto · CC BY 2.0

Emerson Fittipaldi says he left a winning McLaren team to take on the challenge of building a Formula 1 operation with his brother, knowing it would take time. In an Autosport interview published on 3 October 2026, the two-time world champion said he expected the project to need four or five years to develop.

Fittipaldi recalled that the team often raced only one car, leaving it without feedback from a second driver. Building the car in Brazil also made importing engines and gearboxes, and clearing customs, particularly difficult in its first three years, he said.

He also recalled a call from a Skol marketing representative in July 1980. Fittipaldi said the representative told him the sponsor would not continue the following year because of criticism in Brazil’s general press.

Fittipaldi’s account describes a move he made for the challenge of building a team, despite expecting a long wait for success.

Sources 01

SOURCEYou Ask The Questions: Emerson FittipaldiAutosport · Source date as found: 2026-10-03

Source context

Source: Ben Vinel’s interview with Emerson Fittipaldi, published by Autosport on 3 October 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

Autosport published Ben Vinel’s interview with two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi on 3 October 2026. Autosport says the conversation took place in the Baku paddock; it does not specify the interview date.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Publication and interview context Published 3 October 2026; interview date unspecified. The championship description and interview location are supplied by Autosport.

[1]

Asked about leaving McLaren to found Copersucar, Fittipaldi described the move from a winning team to a new project as a deliberate challenge rooted in his and his brother’s interest in building cars. He said he expected success to take four or five years.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Fittipaldi’s explanation for leaving McLaren to establish a team Retrospective account of his Formula 1 career, given in the interview published in 2026. This is Fittipaldi’s account of his motives and expectations, not an independently established explanation of every factor in the decision.

[1]

Fittipaldi recalled that often running only one car limited driver feedback. He also identified building the car in Brazil, importing components and clearing customs as logistical difficulties, particularly in the first three years.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Operational difficulties at Fittipaldi’s team His recollection of the team’s early years. The interview supports these as his firsthand recollections; no separate operational records were supplied.

[1]

Fittipaldi said a Skol marketing representative told him in July 1980 that the sponsor would not continue the following year, citing criticism in the Brazilian general press. That explanation is attributed to Fittipaldi’s account of what the representative said.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Fittipaldi’s account of the sponsorship setback A conversation Fittipaldi places in July 1980, recounted in 2026. Autosport’s interview does not independently establish the representative’s reasoning or the date on which the team ceased racing.

[1]

Reflecting on an earlier stage of his career, Fittipaldi said Jochen Rindt’s death shocked him and that Colin Chapman subsequently told him he would be Lotus’s number-one driver. Fittipaldi described feeling considerable pressure in that role.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Fittipaldi’s recollection of responsibility at Lotus Retrospective account of his early Formula 1 career. His account supports his experience of the events and pressure; it is not presented as a newly occurring safety development.

[1]

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.