Two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi has revealed why he twice turned down the opportunity to drive for Ferrari, despite admitting that racing for the Maranello team was one of his dreams. The Brazilian also reflected on the dangerous era in which he competed and offered high praise for current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Fittipaldi, who won two Formula 1 world titles as well as the Indianapolis 500 twice, appeared at the National Automobile Museum in Turin for the talk “Ne ho viste di tutti i colori”, held as part of the exhibition “I Nemici del Drake. Enzo Ferrari e le scuderie inglesi”. The event looked back at an era when British teams, operating with leaner structures and innovative technical solutions, challenged Maranello and helped revolutionise Formula 1.
Why Emerson Fittipaldi turned down Enzo Ferrari
Emerson Fittipaldi recalled that every racing driver dreams of driving for Ferrari. It was an ambition he shared with fellow Brazilian champions Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, although none of the three ultimately raced for the Scuderia in Formula 1.
In 1971, Enzo Ferrari invited Fittipaldi to dinner in Maranello and personally offered him a three-year contract. The proposed programme would have included both Formula 1 and Ferrari’s 312 Sport, but Fittipaldi explained that he wanted to concentrate exclusively on Formula 1 and Formula 2 single-seaters.
Enzo Ferrari responded with an even more tempting proposal: a salary twice as high as the one Fittipaldi was receiving from Colin Chapman at Lotus. The Brazilian still declined. Money was not the issue.
Five years later, Ferrari came calling again following Niki Lauda’s horrific accident at the Nürburgring. This time, Daniele Audetto delivered Enzo Ferrari’s message to Fittipaldi. Once again, however, circumstances prevented the Brazilian from accepting.
Fittipaldi was already committed to the Copersucar project he had created with his brother Wilson and felt unable to walk away from that agreement. “I couldn’t end that contract,” he explained. “I would have liked to drive for Ferrari, but it never happened. Ayrton and Nelson had that dream too.”
The missed opportunity remains a fascinating part of Ferrari’s history, particularly given Fittipaldi’s status as one of the defining drivers of his generation. Ferrari’s wider history, records and achievements across different Formula 1 eras can be explored through the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics section.
Emerson Fittipaldi names his favourite Formula 1 cars
Emerson Fittipaldi was one of the central figures in the period when the British constructors transformed Formula 1. He became world champion with Lotus in 1972 before winning his second title with McLaren in 1974.
At the Turin museum, the Brazilian was reunited with several cars from his career and had little hesitation when choosing the machine that stood above the rest.
“The Lotus JPS was the best car. Colin Chapman was a genius,” Fittipaldi said.
He worked with Chapman for five years before moving to McLaren and racing the M23, another Formula 1 car he continues to remember with particular affection.
Fittipaldi’s memories also offered a window into a Formula 1 world almost unrecognisable compared with the modern championship. His recollections stretched across several generations and included Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Ronnie Peterson, Clay Regazzoni, Gilles Villeneuve, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti.
The danger that created a special bond between F1 drivers
For Emerson Fittipaldi’s generation, danger was an unavoidable part of everyday life in Formula 1. That reality also created an extraordinary bond between drivers, who knew that a rival they competed against one weekend might not be there for the next.
Following François Cevert’s death at Watkins Glen, Fittipaldi withdrew to the park and questioned whether continuing to race still made sense. Little more than an hour later, however, he was back behind the wheel of his Lotus.
“We were a very tough generation, but also a very united one. There was enormous respect between the drivers, because you knew that from one moment to the next you could lose someone.”
Fittipaldi also recalled Niki Lauda and the Austrian’s extraordinary return following his devastating 1976 Nürburgring accident. Lauda suffered severe burns in the crash but returned to Formula 1 competition just weeks later at Monza.
“Niki performed a miracle. He showed every sportsman in the world the strength of willpower and passion. I was at Monza when he put on the balaclava. It was incredible to see.”
Lauda’s story also had an indirect impact on Fittipaldi’s own career. It was in the aftermath of the Nürburgring accident that Ferrari approached the Brazilian for the second time, only for his commitment to the Copersucar project to prevent a move to Maranello.
Emerson Fittipaldi praises Kimi Antonelli
Turning his attention from Formula 1’s past to its present, Emerson Fittipaldi believes the championship is experiencing an exceptional period of global popularity.
“F1 is going through a very special moment around the world right now,” the Brazilian observed.
Fittipaldi also singled out Kimi Antonelli, the current Formula 1 championship leader, for praise. Like Fittipaldi himself, the young Italian developed his craft through karting before progressing towards the highest level of single-seater racing.
“He’s very good,” Fittipaldi said.
The Brazilian knows Kimi Antonelli’s family well and stressed how important karting remains for young drivers with ambitions of reaching the top of motorsport. Antonelli’s rapid rise has continued at Formula 1 level, where his performances have placed him at the centre of the 2026 championship battle. His position in the title race can be followed in the Formula 1 driver standings.
For Fittipaldi, the comparison connects two very different Formula 1 eras: one shaped by Colin Chapman’s revolutionary Lotus cars, Enzo Ferrari’s personal approach to recruiting drivers and the enormous risks competitors accepted every weekend, and today’s increasingly global championship. Yet one foundation, in his view, remains unchanged — the importance of karting in developing the skills required to reach Formula 1.
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