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The interview with Formula One legend Emerson Fittipaldi
Before the Formula One season kicks off in Abu Dhabi this weekend, our colleagues at VegasInsider spoke with two-time Formula One World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi.
The Brazilian legend talked about his expectations for the upcoming season, how George Russell will do at Mercedes and why we don’t really know what will happen this weekend.
He also talked about how Haas is heading into the new season with the return of Kevin Magnussen and finally shared his thoughts on last year’s season finale with us.
Emerson Fittipaldi: “One of the most exciting seasons in the history of Formula 1”
Early predictions, but will we see a similar battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen this season? Or is there someone else who can challenge these two?
Emerson Fittipaldi: “I expect McLaren and Ferrari to be very fast this year. I think these two will be the surprises of the season.
If you look at the last three years, the development McLaren has made is just incredible. And I know that Ferrari worked very consistently last season to prepare the future car for the new rules.
In my opinion, we’re in for a surprise with McLaren.
Mercedes and (Max) Verstappen will be a challenge for sure. But I think it’s possible we will see at least two more teams at their level. Because when you put a new rule in place, it puts everyone on an equal footing. Everybody is in the same boat.
I’m sure McLaren will challenge Red Bull and Mercedes. McLaren had some very good results last year and they are strong. They have repositioned themselves. Everything looks good.
Lando Norris is extremely fast. Daniel Ricciardo is a race driver. He’s always there and he’s fast, too. I think it’s going to be a very interesting year. And there could be more surprises from other teams. But I’m sure McLaren will be strong – the same goes for Ferrari.
McLaren has worked a lot on the new rules for the new car since last year. They have the capacity, the experience, they have a strong history and background, and under Zac Brown they have rebuilt the team – they are much stronger than before. “
What do you expect from new Mercedes driver George Russell this season? Will he have trouble fitting in?
“I think we saw last year in Bahrain what potential George Russell has as a driver. He put on a show at that race. Really great.
And I’m sure he’ll catch up to Lewis Hamilton, with less experience in the team. I would say that it takes two or three Grand Prix to adapt to the team. But in my opinion, he will challenge Lewis. He is very talented and an aggressive driver.
It went well at Williams. We know how much he has caused surprises in the Williams car. This season should be one of the most exciting seasons in the history of Formula 1. “
Who will win the race in Bahrain and who will surprise us the most?
“We never know exactly what the teams are doing, for example how much fuel they had on board when they set their lap times. I think we will know exactly where the teams stand after the qualifying runs.
By then we may have a big surprise. It’s hard to say at this stage. We’ll have to wait for the qualifying races to be sure.
It will be an exciting qualifying tournament because the whole world will be watching to see who is competitive and who is not. On Saturday, when the qualifying races take place, the drivers will give 110 percent and the teams will have prepared the cars really well.
There will certainly be some surprises in the qualifying runs. “
Emerson Fittipaldi: “New rules hold big surprises “
What are your thoughts and expectations for Haas this week with their new setup? How much will they improve in general this season? What do you think of the decision to replace Nikita Mazepin with Kevin Magnussen?
“They were really fast in practice. But as I said, it’s difficult to say what tires they’re using and how much fuel they’re using. Everything is still very complex before the qualifying races.
If you look at the driver change from the team’s perspective, with Kevin Magnussen they knew exactly what they were getting, how he works and how he delivers. His experience with the team is exactly the opposite of George Russell’s at Mercedes. Kevin is going back to his team. They know him, his skills and his talent.
I was very disappointed for Pietro Fittipaldi because he is the reserve driver. But they made the decision in Kevin’s favor because they felt it was the best thing for the team at the moment.
You have to respect that because they know more about Kevin’s skills, talent and experience than we do. Kevin did really well and I hope the car will be faster this time. It will be interesting to see how Kevin and Mick Schumacher work together.
There could be another surprise in store. The new rules could hold some big surprises. McLaren doing well wouldn’t be a big surprise, as they’ve been making progress lately – it’s uphill, uphill, uphill. But Haas could be a big surprise for everyone. It could be one of the teams that causes a big surprise. “
Do you think Mercedes has put pressure on the FIA to replace Michael Masi as race director?
My opinion is that the rules dictated that he could do what he did. But it was certainly very controversial.
When I saw (Max) Verstappen come into the pits my first impression was that they made a mistake and lost the championship because of that decision. Nobody could prevent the crash and that they would be behind a safety car afterwards.
And he [Michael Masi, note] did what was written in the rule book, what he could do. I think that’s part of the sport and part of the entertainment. It could have been the other way around – Lewis Hamilton pits, Max wins, and Lewis overtakes Max.
I drove twelve seasons of IndyCar and that kind of thing happened a lot. The only one who doesn’t like the safety car is the leader. Everyone else loves it and smiles in the cockpit. It’s part of the sport and the show. Not everyone can be happy, because things can go against you – circumstances go against you. That’s part of life. Part of the sport. “
