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

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.