Can Leist and Fittipaldi bring Brazil back to the top?

Pietro Fittipaldi

With a population of 207 million, Brazil is a motorsport-obsessed nation in need of a new racing hero. Felipe Massa’s retirement from Formula 1 last season left Ayrton Senna’s homeland without a driver at the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time since the sixties, a sad situation that might not change in the short term. However, F1’s loss might just prove to be IndyCar’s gain.

The series has always enjoyed a good reputation in Brazil thanks to names like Gil de Ferran, Emerson Fittipaldi, Christian Fittipaldi, Helio Castroneves or Tony Kanaan and has flirted many times with a return to the land of samba after racing in the streets of Sao Paulo between 2010 and 2013. The arrival of rookies Matheus "Matt" Leist with AJ Foyt racing and Pietro Fittipaldi with Dale Coyne Racing could fill a need for Brazilian racing fans that F1 won’t be able to provide.

One must tread cautiously when predicting future success for young drivers, but Leist comes from winning the British F3 title in 2016 and taking three wins at Indy Lights level in 2017, including the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Having series veteran and countryman Kanaan as his teammate will surely help him settle into the series and develop more rapidly into a contender for the front spots.

Leists' experienced teammate is excited to pass on the torch to a new generation. “His dad is like 44, only one year older than me," said Kanaan speaking to Indycar. “Brazil always produces really talented race car drivers. Lately for years, it was just me and Helio that was left. We didn’t have any continuity. We lost Felipe Massa to Formula 1. We were going through a phase in Brazil where it was actually going down, as far as the number of drivers. We needed new talent."

Matt Leist

The young Brazilian feels his decision to leave the F1 ladder and move to the US was the right call. "Here in America, this is where things are much more easier for the drivers," said Leist. “The drivers have the opportunity to be there. In Europe, it’s all about the money. You can have the talent, but if you don’t have the money, if you don’t know the right people, you won’t make it. Here in America, it’s much different."

In Fittipaldi’s case, we’re talking about the pull of a dynasty in the making. The grandson of F1 and Indy 500 champion Emerson had a junior formula career that indicates he’s ready for a bigger challenge, but not necessarily Formula 1.

The 21-year-old will run a part-time campaign in 2018 that includes the Indy 500 and, should he find his groove in the series, could mature into a race winner like his uncle Christian or go a step beyond to further his grandfather’s legacy, sans the orange juice at Indy of course. "This is a dream come true, even more so to be racing in the Indy 500, where my family already has a history of great results," said Fittipaldi after his deal for 2018 was confirmed.

Both rookies had an impressive outing at IndyCar's open test in Phoenix, posting the fastest laps among the newcomers in the early February oval sessions. Jaime Duque Cevallos/MotorsportWeek