IndyCar: Can Pietro Fittipaldi live up to the legacy of his namesake?

By Matthew Elich | Mar 8, 2018

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Former F1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi smiles as he speaks before taking part in a parade to mark the race's 50th anniversary ahead of this year's British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit on July 4, 2014 in Northampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Drew Gibson/Getty Images) /

Can Pietro Fittipaldi live up to his grandfather’s legacy? We ask the big question as the rookie prepares for his maiden season in IndyCar racing.

As this weekend approaches, all eyes in the racing world will be on the debut of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series opening race in St. Petersburg. Along with the start of a new racing season comes the excitement surrounding the new and unknown.

There will always be new regulations, and the new universal aero kit for 2018 is supposed to enhance the races, and let’s not forget the rookie drivers. Much like the aero kit, they are truly untested in real race conditions at this level of racing competition. Enter Pietro Fittipaldi.

This is where the speculation of who will succeed and who may crumble under the pressure comes to light. We must remember that these drivers usually come from lower forms of racing, and they usually come as the champions in those leagues. Although they have been used to winning in their division, the stage is now bigger, the spotlights are brighter, and there is more pressure than anything they have felt prior to this.

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Another type of pressure comes from legacy: following in the footsteps of another great racer, one that has triumphed and is recognized even to this day for his outstanding work in the seat.

With the recent announcement of a seven-race deal for Pietro Fittipaldi and Dale Coyne Racing, that pressure is now on the young driver to live up to the legacy of his grandfather, the great Emerson Fittipaldi, who won the 1972 and 1974 Formula One championships, the 1989 CART championship, and the 1989 and 1993 Indianapolis 500 races.

Fittipaldi, like most drivers in his position, has come from winning in a lower division. According to the Driver Database, the Brazilian took six wins in the Formula V8 3.5 series along with 10 poles and 10 podium finishes to clinch the 2017 world championship. He also took the 2016 championship in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 and was invited to the Ferrari Driver Academy back in 2014.

Fittipaldi will be starting his seven-race deal on the ISM Raceway oval on Saturday, April 7th in Avondale, Arizona, and he will gain more track time in Indianapolis on May 12th, as he competes on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The highlight this season for the young rookie will be his inaugural entry into the Indianapolis 500 on May 27th.

He definitely has talent and good genes, but will he shine in the spotlight when he gets his chance? Only time will tell. Some drivers have lived up to the legacy of a famous name, like Michael Andretti did after the great Mario Andretti, although some have faltered, as Bruno Senna hasn’t had quite the career that Ayrton Senna had,.

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Even though the IndyCar season will be starting this weekend and we have waited all winter for racing to resume, some of that excitement for the unknown will remain, at least until the time when we get to see young Pietro Fittipaldi on the track with the best drivers IndyCar has to offer.