Christian Fittipaldi
Christian Fittipaldi (born 18 January 1971) is a Brazilian former racing driver who has competed in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, Champ Car, and NASCAR. He was a highly rated young racing driver in the early 1990s, and participated in 43 Formula One Grands Prix for Minardi and Footwork between 1992 and 1994.
| Christian Fittipaldi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fittipaldi in 2006 as a Stock Car Brasil driver | |||||||
| Nationality | Brazilian | ||||||
| Born | 18 January 1971 São Paulo, Brazil | ||||||
| Related to | Wilson Fittipaldi (father) Emerson Fittipaldi (uncle) Pietro Fittipaldi (first cousin once-removed) Enzo Fittipaldi (first cousin once-removed) Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. (cousin) Max Papis (cousin-in-law) | ||||||
| WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career | |||||||
| Debut season | 2014 | ||||||
| Current team | Action Express Racing | ||||||
| Racing licence | FIA Gold | ||||||
| Car number | 5 | ||||||
| Engine | Chevrolet 5.5L V8 | ||||||
| Co-driver | João Barbosa Sébastien Bourdais | ||||||
| Starts | 47 | ||||||
| Championships | 2 | ||||||
| Wins | 7 | ||||||
| Poles | 6 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 2014, 2015 | ||||||
| Finished last season | 3rd (2017) | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 2008 2003–2013 2005–06 2002–2003 2003 2002 1995–2002 1992–1994 1991 | American Le Mans Rolex Sports Car Series A1 Grand Prix NASCAR Winston Cup Series ARCA Re/Max Series NASCAR Busch Series CART Formula One Formula 3000 | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1991 | Formula 3000 | ||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| 1995 | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Teams | Minardi, Footwork | ||||||
| Entries | 43 (40 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||
| Career points | 12 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1992 South African Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1994 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 135 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Years active | 1995–2002 | ||||||
| Team(s) | Walker Racing Newman/Haas Racing | ||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1996, 2002) | ||||||
| First race | 1995 Grand Prix of Miami (Bicentennial Park) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante (Mexico City) | ||||||
| First win | 1999 Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America (Road America) | ||||||
| Last win | 2000 Marlboro 500 (Fontana) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 16 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 44th (2003) | ||||||
| First race | 2002 Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last race | 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 102nd (2002) | ||||||
| First race | 2002 GNC Live Well 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Mr. Goodcents 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
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Fittipaldi was fifth in the CART series in both 1996 and 2002, earning two wins and a second place in the 1995 Indianapolis 500. He has also had success racing sports prototypes, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona of 2004, 2014 and 2018, the 12 Hours of Sebring of 2015, the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen of 2013, 2016 and 2017, and has captured two IMSA SportsCar Championships with Action Express Racing during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
A member of the Fittipaldi racing family, he is the son of former Formula One driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi, the nephew of two-time Formula One World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, and the cousin of racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi Jr.. He is also the first cousin once-removed of Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi, who are the grandsons of Emerson Fittipaldi.