Emerson Fittipaldi's love for fast machines was inherited from his father, who was also involved in motor sports professionally. This interest was encouraged in the family, and Fittipaldi began competing in races as a teenager. In 1961, at the age of sixteen, he drove his first race on a 50cc motorcycle.
Between 1962 and 1966, he participated in various motorcycle, kart, and sports car races, becoming a multiple champion of São Paulo and Brazilian national champion. In 1967, he won the Formula Vee championship and the karting championship.
In 1968, he won the Formula Vee championship again and in 1969, he left his home country and moved to Great Britain, where he started competing in Formula Ford and Formula 3. He recorded three victories in nine races and completed eleven races, winning eight.
In 1970, he switched to Formula 2 and drove for the Lotus racing team, completing five races. He then made his debut in Formula 1, starting for the first time at the British Grand Prix in a Lotus-Ford.
In the US race of Watkins Glenn, Fittipaldi celebrated his first Grand Prix victory. He finished tenth in the overall standings that season, but only took part in five races. The following year, 1971, he improved to sixth place in the world championship standings.
In 1972, Fittipaldi won five Grand Prix races, scoring 61 points in 12 races and winning the world championship title. He became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in racing history to date, at the age of twenty-six.
In the following season, 1973, he completed 15 races, winning three and achieving 55 points. He drove five fastest laps and finished second in the World Championship. The following year, 1974, he repeated his success, winning the world championship title again with 55 points.
In 1975, he won the runner-up title again with 45 points in 13 Grand Prix races. He then built his own racing team and drove for Copersucar-Ford. However, his results declined, and he finished 16th in the drivers' world championship standings in 1976.
In 1977, his results improved, and he reached twelfth place in the World Championship standings. He drove in 14 races and scored 11 Grand Prix points with no wins. In 1978, he drove 16 Grand Prix races, but actual success remained elusive, and he ended up in ninth place in the World Championship drivers' standings.
In the following 1979 season, Fittipaldi fell to 21st place in the world championship standings. In 1980, he improved his balance, finishing the season in 15th place in the World Cup standings.
In 1984, Fittipaldi started in the North American Indy Car Series for the first time, taking fifth place. He took part in every race in this series until 1996, winning 22 victories and starting 17 races from pole position.
In 1989 and 1993, he finished the legendary Indianapolis 500 mile race as winner. In 1996, Fittipaldi survived a serious accident while racing the Michigan 500 Mile in the USA, after which he gave up racing completely.
In 1997, he suffered a crash in an ultralight aircraft, sustaining serious injuries to the spine. He then retreated into private life. In 2000, Fittipaldi became a foundation member of the World Sports Academy of the "Laureus World Sports Awards".
