The Brazilian has not raced for any Formula 1 team since 2017, a sad fact for the country which is third in history with the most titles – 8, after the United Kingdom and Germany – and a great track record of drivers. With the largest category of motorsport.
This widespread inconvenience is even greater in Brazil because there is still a lot of interest among people in racing. These are broadcast by the band decades later on Red Globo, journalists carefully covering the calendar and we also have the Brazilian GP on the historic Circuito de Interlagos. There was also interest from the federal government in building a new racetrack in Rio de Janeiro.
So what are the reasons for not being a Formula 1 driver?
lack of talent?
The current Formula 1 has only 20 slots and each post test is battling with laps and laps, races of the most diverse categories and odds of seconds and even thousandths. Making a place in F1 is not an easy task.
The development of in-car technical solutions in the late 1990s and early 2000s confirms this thesis. All of our achievements went before that, with Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet jointly holding their eight titles in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
In the post-Sena times we had good drivers like Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa who came close to keeping their titles (especially Massa in 2008), but also Riccardo Zonta, Bertie himself, Antonio Pizzonia and more recently Nelson Piquet Jr. Name. Bruno Cena, Lucas di Grassi and Felipe Nasr failed to make a big impact.
investing in dollars
One of the big problems with revealing talent in motorsport is the high cost of owning a car, competing for, maintaining, and growing across categories. Even more so with cars becoming more and more modern and advanced.
Another factor that made the arrival of Brazilian Formula 1 difficult was the increase in the dollar. If this investment was already high enough to cover – especially without the help of sponsors – the depreciation of real was an even more complicating factor.
It’s no secret that many teams depend on sponsorships that drivers “bring in” to survive and be competitive. For example, Brazilian Felipe Nasr left his position at Sauber after Banco do Brasil failed to keep his sponsorship.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton did not hide his woes, saying Formula One has become a billionaire boys’ club. It is worth mentioning a few names on the current grid that, despite having distinguished themselves in the following categories, have remained in Formula 1 due to the full pockets of their sponsors.
Can it change?
As bad as that may be, there are still good names in Brazilian motorsport who could dream of a position in Formula 1. Winning a super license isn’t easy, as well as the money to compete in the so-called “base categories”. Either have strong sponsors.
But it is still possible to use the rules of the game to fight for any of the 20 spots. Pietro Fittipaldi, for example, was a Haas test driver and replaced Romain Grosjean on the grid. Brazil finished the race in 17th place in its two races in 2020.
In case you haven’t noticed, a nickname says a lot. Emerson’s Pietro grandson, being the first avi-grandson pair to race in Formula 1. The children are many: Max Verstappen, one of the big names in the category, Jos Verstappen’s son, and Mick Schumacher, a seven-time champion and son of the category. Legend Michael Schumacher.
