He is still A1

Named after American philosopher Ralp Waldo Emerson, Emerson Fittipaldi, or Emmo as he is affectionately called, proved himself across the spectrum of racing. A two-time F1 world champion, the Brazilian also won the CART and Indianapolis 500 in his illustrious career. Now in charge of Team Brazil in the A1 Grand Prix, Fittipladi spoke about racing, winning and Karthikeyan to Bikash Mohapatra during the opening A1 race at Zandvoort, The Netherlands

What do you think of Narain Karthiketan as a driver?
Tiago Monteiro drove for me in America, in Champ Car. I know Tiago well and on his day he can be really fast. And then I saw Narain race against Tiago in a qualifying session and do well. I was surprised to see this guy doing so well against Tiago. He is fast, very fast. He needs time and experience to consolidate his position at an international level. He’s like a diamond that needs to be cut properly.

You have been seen on many occasions in the Team India camp…
Yes, we have been collaborating. I have very good friends there, some of whom I met a few months back. We even got them to Brands Hatch, for the final race of the season. I don’t know how many Indians actually watch racing but the people seem passionate. Soon they will get more involved in racing. I hope we can help promote A1 in India. We’re looking forward to come to India.

Your take on the Alonso-Hamilton controversy?
I’m extremely impressed with Lewis Hamilton. He is fantastic. He wins like crazy and can handle mental pressure. In the last few races, he has been administering the race, not driving. But this in-team fighting has happened many times before. It is nothing new. I have faced similar situations in McLaren, Lotus and then in America.

As for the Alonso-Hamilton controversy, in my opinion Fernando never expected Hamilton to be so quick. So he was more worried about losing than about driving. But if he concentrates on his driving, Fernando can drive really fast. He’s very talented but since he’s worried about what is going on with Hamilton, he has lost focus.

Do you think McLaren will be adversely affected in the aftermath of the spying scandal?
I think McLaren has the potential to come back stronger. They will be back in a big way definitely. But this also gives a chance to others teams like BMW and Williams, who look quite strong now with their new engine.

Many feel Michael Schumacher is the best driver of all times. Your comments.
Michael was a fantastic driver. I mean, to win seven world titles, it has never happened. But then he had a period of time when there was no competition. He was the only top contender. He was fast but he also had a good time period. Do you agree?

So I think Juan Manuel Fangio - the five-time world champion from Argentina - is the greatest of all time. If you put Fangio now, say in a McLaren, he’ll still win. But there have also been many other great champions - like Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart - in different generations.

Some words on Ayrton Senna...
Everybody in Brazil remembers him. For me, he was a fantastic driver, a genius. He changed racing in Brazil. After his death a lot of people back home lost enthusiasm in F1. Now it is coming back again. You know, he would have raced for my team. He tested my car in 1992, the year before he died, and was very quick while he drove it.

There was a time when Brazil had a lot of champions in racing - Piquet, Senna and you. What went wrong?
The new generation has come - my grand child is also racing. But there’s no technical explanation. We have lost our position but some of our drivers have finished second. However, for me the second-placed guy is the first loser. A No.1 will always be No.1. I learned this in America. I’m here to make this team No.1 in A1. There’s nobody as quick now except for Piquet jr. Maybe he could bring back the world championships when he races for Renault.

How is A1 different from what you have been doing all these years?
I think the concept of A1 is fantastic because it gives opportunities to the countries and also to the drivers of those countries to showcase themselves on a global platform. For instance, Sergio (Jimenez), who drives for Brazil here, was in the final of the world championships in the year 2000. In Go-Karting, there were drivers from all over the world including Hamilton, Kovalainen and Kubica - all F1 drivers now. Sergio started from the pole, led the race for quite some time and then lost his chance.

Thereafter, he went back to Brazil where it is so difficult to get sponsorship. He never had a chance to go back again. This is the first chance he has got since, his first international exposure in years. That is what A1 can do - it can offer you an opportunity which no other race can.

How did you get associated with A1?
I met Tony Teixeira, who’s the founder, in Africa three years ago. I liked the new concept which envisages gathering teams from five different continents. Then I got calls inquiring if I could head the Brazilian team. Since then I’m involved. People were initially apprehensive.

They said it wouldn’t take off. But now you see for yourself that it is in its third year and is stronger than ever before. It’s a happy ambience, like it used to be in the Formula One, many years ago. Tony has a business vision for the future. We’ve got some big announcements coming up which will take A1 to the next level.

Don’t you think with the cars being similar, the pressure is more on the driver? And this kind of a set up will lead to the absence of a big star - as in F1?
No, I don’t think so. Your driver is very good. How do you call him? (Narain). Oh yeah, I’m learning good English. Soon I’ll start speaking the same. He’s young and will grow with experience. Brazil had Nelson Piquet Jr last year - and he has now signed for Renault and will soon be a good F1 driver. So there.