Brazil lacks F1 driver: 'There are too few seats'

Emerson Fittipaldi believes there are too few seats in Formula 1. The two-time F1 world champion sees many drivers missing the boat and, according to him, a lot of talent is being lost as a result.

F2 champion misses out again

After Nyck de Vries and Oscar Piastri in 2019 and 2021 respectively, Felipe Drugovich has also failed to secure a seat in F1 as Formula 2 champion. The Brazilian did get a chance at Aston Martin to work as a reserve driver there, but once again the motorsport ladder is not working as intended.

For Brazil, it is precisely important to have a driver from its own country back in the sport. Indeed, after Felipe Massa, the country that loves the sport is already without a driver with a permanent seat. Massa's last race was in 2017, while Pietro Fittipaldi was allowed to fill in for Romain Grosjean at Haas for two more races in 2020.

Brazilian F1 drivers

''It is very important to have a Brazilian win the F2 championship. He has great potential as a driver. He's got a great opportunity with Aston Martin, as a reserve driver. I hope he does well over there. For Brazil, we need drivers in F1, competing for the championship,'' said Fittipaldi at VegasInsider. Fittipaldi himself won two world titles, as Nelson Piquet (three times) and Ayrton Senna (three times) would later do on behalf of Brazil.

For Fittipaldi, the solution is very simple: ''In my opinion, we need more Formula 1 teams, for more seats to be available. They could have another two-three teams, another six cars. There will be many more possibilities for young drivers to come in F1. That's what we're missing.''

Emerson's grandson, Enzo, also hopes to make a jump to Formula 1. The 21-driver and Pietro's little brother competes in F2 and is sixth in the championship there as a rookie. With no link to an F1 team, the step to the king class of motorsport seems a bit too much for him too.