Drivers | 32 |
---|---|
Grands Prix | 803 |
Entries | 1963 |
Starts | 1845 |
Best season finish | 1st (8 times, 1972, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991) |
Wins | 101 |
Podiums | 293 |
Pole positions | 126 |
Fastest laps | 88 |
Points | 3423 [a] |
First entry | 1951 Italian Grand Prix |
First win | 1970 United States Grand Prix |
Latest win | 2009 Italian Grand Prix |
Latest entry | 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
2025 drivers | Gabriel Bortoleto |
There have been 32 Formula One drivers who have represented Brazil, including three world champions. Ayrton Senna, the three-time title winner, is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One. Nelson Piquet also won the title three times and Emerson Fittipaldi was a two-time winner. Rubens Barrichello, who used to hold the record for the most races contested with 322 starts, finished as the championship runner-up in two seasons. Following the retirement of Felipe Massa after the 2017 season, in 2018 there were no Brazilian drivers entered for the World Championship, the first time this had occurred since 1969. As of 2024 [update] , the last Brazilian driver to take part in a Formula One race was Pietro Fittipaldi in the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. F2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto is slated to join Sauber for the 2025 season, becoming the 33rd Brazilian Formula One driver.
Brazil produced three world champions, all of whom won more than once. [3] Emerson Fittipaldi was the first Brazilian to secure the Drivers' Championship, winning in 1972 and 1974. [4] Nelson Piquet managed one better, winning the championship three times in the 1980s and became the first Brazilian triple world champion. [5] In 1991, 31-year-old Ayrton Senna won his third title, making him the youngest ever three-time world champion at that time. [6]
Six Brazilian drivers won at least one Grand Prix, with a combined total of 101 wins. [7] Ayrton Senna has won the most races with 41 victories, while Nelson Piquet won 23 out of 204 race starts. [5] Fittipaldi, Rubens Barrichello, and Felipe Massa have each claimed more than ten wins. [4] [8] [9] Carlos Pace scored his only victory at the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix. [10] Emerson Fittipaldi was the first Brazilian to win a Formula One Grand Prix – the 1970 United States Grand Prix at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course.
No Brazilian driver has won a Grand Prix since Barrichello's last win at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, the country's longest barren run since Fittipaldi's maiden victory.
Ayrton Senna is often regarded as one of the best racing drivers of all time. In an Autosport survey, 217 Formula One drivers were asked to vote for their top 10 greatest drivers of all-time, and Senna was chosen as number one. He finished on the podium 80 times, nearly half of the races in which he competed, and won 41 events. [11] He was a master of the Monaco Grand Prix, winning it five times consecutively, a feat never achieved by any other driver on any circuit. [6]
Nelson Piquet won three titles in a career that spanned 14 seasons. He made his Formula One debut in 1978 as a privateer before securing a drive with Brabham. He spent the next seven seasons with the team, winning the Drivers' Championship in 1981 and 1983 before moving to Williams in 1986. [5] [12] Piquet had battles with teammate Nigel Mansell both on and off track. Piquet publicly called Mansell "an uneducated blockhead", with Mansell retorting that "Piquet is just a vile man". In their first year together Piquet was convinced that Williams were favouring the British driver and their distracting personal feud helped Alain Prost to the title. The following year Piquet got the upper hand and, though he had half as many wins as Mansell, his consistency saw him through to his third title. [13] Piquet moved to Lotus for two seasons before finishing his F1 career with Benetton with whom he achieved three victories. [5] After his retirement Piquet developed a successful satellite navigation company which helped him finance the careers of his sons, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Pedro Piquet. [13]
Emerson Fittipaldi spent ten years in Formula One and won the Drivers' Championship in 1972 and 1974. [4] The Autosport driver survey placed Fittipaldi in 12th place, one ahead of Piquet. [14] Fittipaldi joined Formula One in 1970 with Lotus and achieved one victory in his first two years. In his third year, he won five races and the Drivers' Championship (the youngest champion ever at the time), and came second to Jackie Stewart the next year. Fittipaldi joined the McLaren team in 1974 and won his second title, coming runner-up the following year. [4] Fittipaldi left McLaren to set up Fittipaldi Automotive alongside older brother Wilson, a team financed by Copersucar, the Brazilian state-run sugar marketing company. [15] They remained uncompetitive for several years with only two podiums in the next five years. [4] When Copersucar withdrew their sponsorship, Fittipaldi retired from driving to focus on managing the team. He did so for two years before it folded in 1982, and he returned to Brazil. Fittipaldi returned to racing in 1984 in the American CART series. He won the CART championship in 1989 and the Indianapolis 500 in both 1989 and 1993. [15] Fittipaldi retired from racing for the second and final time in 1996, after being injured in a first-lap wreck during a CART race at Michigan International Speedway.
Rubens Barrichello drove in 322 Formula One races. At the time of his retirement, this was the record for the most races in a Formula One career. [16] He finished in the top four of the drivers' championship in five consecutive seasons with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. During this time Barrichello, like Massa after him, found it difficult to be the second driver to Michael Schumacher. He left Ferrari to join Honda and endured three tough seasons before Brawn GP bought out the team and produced a 2009 car that helped him to finish third in the championship. At the beginning of his career Barrichello was mentored by Ayrton Senna, and the drivers became close friends. Senna's death, just a year after Barrichello's debut, deeply upset the young Brazilian who had been injured in a crash at the start of the same Grand Prix weekend. When Barrichello won his first race six years later he was overwhelmed by the emotion of being the first Brazilian driver, since Senna, to stand atop the podium. [8] As of 2023 [update] , he remains the last Brazilian to win a race.
Felipe Massa debuted in 2002 for Sauber and later drove for Ferrari from 2006 to 2013. In his first three seasons with the team he finished third, fourth, and then second in the drivers' championship. All eleven of his race victories happened during those three seasons. He has found himself as the number two driver in the team on several occasions, firstly to Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and then Fernando Alonso, having to yield the lead and let the senior driver through for the victory. [9] Massa came very close to winning the 2008 season, eventually losing to Lewis Hamilton by just one point. He lost it on the last lap of the final race of the season when Hamilton managed to pass Timo Glock for fifth position and secure enough points to win the championship. The Ferrari team, unaware of Hamilton's late overtaking move, were celebrating in the belief that Massa had won the title. When the situation became clear the message was relayed to a very disappointed Massa. [17] For 2014, Massa moved to Williams. He announced that he would retire from Formula One at the end of the 2016 season. [18] However, the abrupt retirement of 2016 Formula One Champion Nico Rosberg from Mercedes precipitated the late move of Valtteri Bottas from Williams to Mercedes, leaving a late vacancy at Williams. Massa subsequently postponed his retirement, returning to Williams to partner rookie Lance Stroll for the 2017 season. [19] On 4 November 2017, Massa confirmed that he would be retiring from Formula One at the end of the 2017 season. [20]
Williams Racing, legally known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams's earlier unsuccessful F1 operation, Frank Williams Racing Cars. The team is based in Grove, Oxfordshire, on a 60-acre (24 ha) site.
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1993. Patrese was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1992 with Williams, and won six Grands Prix across 17 seasons.
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994. Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held the record for most pole positions (65), among others; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior is a Brazilian former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1991. Piquet won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1981, 1983, and 1987, and won 23 Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Emerson Fittipaldi is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980. Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren, respectively; he won 14 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. In American open-wheel racing, Fittipaldi won the IndyCar World Series in 1989 with Patrick, and is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.
Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello is a Brazilian racing driver and broadcaster, who competes in the Stock Car Pro Series for Full Time Sports. Nicknamed "Rubinho", Barrichello competed in Formula One from 1993 to 2011, and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in 2002 and 2004 with Ferrari; he won 11 Grands Prix across 19 seasons. In stock car racing, Barrichello is a two-time champion of the Stock Car Pro Series in 2014 and 2022 with Full Time Sports.
The Brazilian Grand Prix, currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix, is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos neighborhood, Cidade Dutra, São Paulo. The inaugural Brazilian Grand Prix, held in 1972, was held as a non-championship event, with all races from the 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix onwards held as a championship event. Previously, the race was held at Jacarepaguá from 1978 to 1989, before returning to Interlagos in 1990, where it has since been held.
The 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on 26 January 1975. It was race 2 of 14 in both the 1975 World Championship of Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the fourth Brazilian Grand Prix since its introduction in 1972. The race was won by São Paulo native Carlos Pace driving a Brabham BT44B. It was the only win of Pace's career; he was killed in an aircraft accident two years later. Fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi finished second in his McLaren M23 with his German teammate Jochen Mass finishing third.
The 1990 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 October 1990 at Suzuka. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 1990 Formula One season. It was the 16th Japanese Grand Prix and the 6th held at Suzuka. The race saw a first-corner collision between World Championship rivals Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna and French driver Alain Prost, the second consecutive year that the World Championship had been decided by a collision between the two at the same track. The collision immediately put both cars out of the race and secured Senna his second World Championship, a reversal of fortunes from the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, where the collision had secured the championship for Prost.
The 1990 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 4 November 1990. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1990 Formula One World Championship, and the 500th race to contribute to the World Drivers' Championship since the series started in 1950. The race was the 55th Australian Grand Prix, and the sixth to be part of the Formula One World Championship. It was held over 81 laps of the 3.78-kilometre (2.35 mi) circuit for a race distance of 306 kilometres (190 mi).
Francisco Adolpho "Chico" Serra is a Brazilian racing driver.
Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior was a Brazilian racing driver and Formula One team owner. He participated in 38 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 May 1972, scoring a total of three championship points. He ran the Fittipaldi Formula One team between 1974 and 1982. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races.
The Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, also known as Jacarepaguá after the neighbourhood in which it was located, and also as the Autódromo Riocentro, was a motorsport circuit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Opened in January 1978, a few weeks before the 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix, it hosted the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix on ten occasions, and was also used for CART, motorcycle racing and stock car racing. In 2012, it was demolished to make way for facilities to be used at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Nelson Ângelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior, also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 season. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing.
Bruno Senna Lalli is a Brazilian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 2010 to 2012. In endurance racing, Senna won the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class with Rebellion.
Autódromo Brasília BRB is a racing circuit in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. It is 5.476 km (3.403 mi) in length that hosted a variety of national-level series including Stock Car Brasil, Formula Truck and Formula 3 Brasil. The track was initially opened in 1974, and hosted non-championship rounds for both Formula One and the BPR Global GT Series, and in recent years was scheduled to host both MotoGP and IndyCar, but due to costs and construction delays, neither event went ahead. Previously named Autódromo Emilio Medici and Autódromo de Brasília, the circuit's name was later changed to honor Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet. Following the transfer of ownership from Terracap to Banco de Brasília (BRB), the track is currently named Autódromo Brasília BRB. The track, which has been closed since 2014, is undergoing renovations that started in 2022 and are set to be completed at the end of 2023.
The 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil on 18 October 2009. It was the sixteenth race of the 2009 Formula One World Championship.
The 2009 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 23 August 2009 at the Valencia Street Circuit in Valencia, Spain. It was the 11th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 57 laps, an overall race distance of 308.9 km (191.9 mi). The winner was Rubens Barrichello for Brawn GP after starting from third on the grid. The 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second for McLaren-Mercedes, while 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen finished in third for Ferrari. Championship leader Jenson Button finished in seventh for the second race in a row, but extended his lead as Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel both failed to score.
Victory Theme is a Brazilian instrumental song composed specially for the broadcast of Formula One by Rede Globo. The music was composed by Eduardo Souto Neto.
There have been sixteen Formula One drivers from Austria including two winners of the World Drivers' Championship. Three Austrian drivers were killed while competing in the sport; only the United Kingdom has lost more racers' lives in the sport. Several others were seriously injured in competition, with some having career ending accidents.
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