Latest Episode | Cut To The Race Podcast
Enzo Fittipaldi, Grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson, is impressing during his first full F2 season. FormulaNerds sat down with him at Spa over the weekend.
Affectionately nicknamed βLittle Sharkβ by his adoring fans, born in the United States, Enzo races under the Brazilian flag, like the rest of the Fittipaldi family.
The 21-year-old got his first taste of Formula 2 last season when he moved up from Charouz Racing System’s F3 team from Monza onwards. However, his season was cut short at the penultimate round in Saudi Arabia in December, when an accident at the start with ThΓ©o Pourchaire saw Fittipaldi slam into the back of the Frenchmanβs stalled ART.
Due to the injuries he sustained in that incident, it was unclear if, and when, Fittipaldi would return to the series. A winter of uncertainty followed, but Enzo recovered in time for the start of the new season in March.
Still with Charouz, Little Shark went scoreless over the first five races of the season, but a breakthrough β and comeback β moment came in the feature race at Imola, in Round 3.
Fittipaldi came through the field to finish P2, having started a relatively lowly P15.
Four consecutive points finishes followed, before four more podiums during a hectic July, including one in both the sprint and feature race at the Hungaroring.
After the summer break, FormulaNerds sat down with Enzo at Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix.
A difficult start to the triple-header
Fittipaldiβs weekend in Belgium started strongly, in Fridayβs qualifying he secured P2 on the grid for the feature race. After a difficult sprint race, things went from bad to worse for the Brazilian-American.
A difficult first lap saw Enzo slip back to P4. An impressive battle with Carlinβs Liam Lawson ensued over the first half of the race, allowing both to showcase their wheel-to-wheel racing abilities.
Lawson βοΈ Fittipaldi
Wheel-to-wheel, lap after lap!#BelgianGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/FG4m782vVU
β Formula 2 (@Formula2) August 28, 2022
After finishing P5 on the road, a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage whilst fighting Lawson left Fittipaldi P10.
The application of the penalty could be considered questionable, given that Fittipaldi did give the place back, albeit a couple of laps later, due to radio issues between himself and his team.
However, the stewards deemed that by this point, Fittipaldi had gained a lasting advantage and stood by their decision to add 5 seconds to his race time.
The opportunity for redemption comes quick in Motorsport, and this week, F2 heads to Zandvoort β the mid-point of the triple-header. Itβs an opportunity that Fittipaldi relishes, even though he admits it will be βdifficultβ.
βI never drove there, not even once. The only time Iβve driven there is on the F1 game. So, I have free practice to learn the track and itβs a very difficult track, then Iβll go straight into qualifying,β the Charouz driver told FormulaNerds.
βBut, one thing I know, for me, is that I learn tracks really fast β it was my first time in Monaco this year and we qualified in the top 5, so Iβm not too worried about it.β
Learning on the move
That ability to learn fast has served Fittipaldi well this season. When we sat down together, Enzo spoke of the F2 learning curve, and shed light on the factors that held him back over the first few races of 2022:
βItβs my first year in Formula 2, so every round Iβm learning something new. As a rookie, itβs a big learning curve.
βAs well, in the first two rounds of the season [in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia], I still wasnβt 100% after my accident from last year.
“So yeah, that obviously held me back in those first two rounds, but after that, I got my podium in Imola and I was fully recovered.β
Little Shark also credits the supportive working environment at Charouz when asked about the reasons behind his season taking off. The 21-year-old highlights the βgreat chemistryβ he enjoys with the team. We βall work very well togetherβ and the team are βamazingβ to work with, Enzo says.
βWeβre just doing our job; we do our best and we see what comes out of it, and itβs been very good. So, my goal is just to continue, focused, my head down, and keep pushing β and continue learning as much as possible.
βEvery time I jump in the car I try and learn something new. So, that has been the goal since the start of the season.β
“Never lose motivation”
When asked what the single biggest thing heβd learned so far this season was, Enzo shared that: βno matter where youβre starting in the feature race, you can never lose motivation.β
βMany times, this season I started outside the top 10 and finished on the podium,β he explained.
βItβs just knowing that if you have good pace, you feel good with the car, no matter where youβre starting from in the feature race you can always turn things around.
βIf you donβt have a very good qualifying session, just focus on the next race β have a good start, have a good race, because, in Formula 2, really anything can happen. Itβs very chaotic β the races β with strategy, with safety cars, so it is a lot of fun.β
Fittipaldi underlined his point by adding:
βItβs all about just keeping your head very calm and cool-minded throughout the whole season, trying to minimise the mistakes because a mistake in a championship like this can cost you a lot.
βIt’s very little track time, so every lap you do is very valuable for data for the engineers, so you need to make sure youβre very consistent. And you need to make sure you hit your marks every time you get on track. So, thatβs the biggest thing Iβve learned this year.β
The accident
Despite the horrifying incident off the starting line in Saudi Arabia last year, Fittipaldi hasnβt allowed it to deter him. Instead, heβs taken the positives out of the experience and used it as a catalyst for his increasingly impressive season.
βAs a race car driver, you just have to understand that youβre risking your life on a track going at these speeds,β Fittipaldi explained.
βIn my opinion, you canβt be thinking about those things β even after the accident I had, I understand that thereβs always these risks, and thatβs the risks you take, so thatβs what it is to be a race car driver.
βAny track you go to, thereβs always the risks β any type of accident can happen. It doesnβt matter how much safety you have, itβs the speed youβre going, you know, so the risk will always be there.
βI came out a much stronger person inside and outside the track. Iβm just grateful that Iβm here racing this year and Iβm able to race after a crash like that. And Iβm 100% and Iβm better than ever.β
Whilst heβs put that crash in Saudi Arabia behind him, Fittipaldi acknowledged the pivotal part it has played in his early career, and specifically his first full season in F2.
Highlight of the year (so far)
When asked for his highlight of the season, Fittipaldi confirmed that it was βfor sureβ his podium at Imola.
βAfter the accident, I had last year [in Saudi Arabia], the deal I had with Charouz was last minute because I still wasnβt sure if I was going to be ready for the start of the season.
βCharouz kind of held that seat for me and we were able to make the deal happen. I was able to speed up my recovery by four months β the doctors said I was only going to be in the car by July, so I really focused on my recovery and pushing a lot, everyday training.
βAnd then my first podium in Imola, it was like βwowβ, because it was just four months after I had surgery on my foot. So, itβs just an amazing feeling, [after] all the hard work you do in the winter. And honestly, after the crash from last year, I really do think I came out a different person and I look at things differently now.
βSo, itβs been really good, but the highlight has definitely been Imola. The first podium of the year, from fifteenth to second [place].β
Making a name for himself
Steeped in history, The Fittipaldi name is a storied one in Motorsport. To some, racing under such a name would prove a daunting prospect, but not to Enzo, who says it doesnβt come with any added pressure, nor does it change his approach to racing βat allβ.
βI mean, for me, Iβm here to make a name for myself. The Fittipaldi name has a lot of history β so itβs an honour to carry that name on track. And yeah, like I said, Iβm here to make a name for myself and just do my best possible and see where it takes me.β
Itβs still early days in Enzoβs career, so it remains to be seen how far up the Motorsport pyramid his best will take him. However, in the short term, the Brazilian-American says he does not yet know his plans for 2023.
Whilst maintaining that it hasnβt yet gotten to the point to talk about next year, Enzo did concede that he thinks he could end up doing another year in F2, but that right now, heβs “not focused on that.β
βIβm just focused on doing my job and doing my best every race weekend.β
Featured Image Credit: @enzofitti on Twitter