The recent drama between Max Verstappen and George Russell has brought some much-needed spice back to Formula 1, and racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi is loving every minute of it.
The two-time world champion thinks this kind of rivalry is exactly what the sport needs right now.
"I like it a lot, because it shows the personality of each athlete," Fittipaldi told Racer.com. "It doesn’t matter what sport you do, the public want to see who’s behind."
It’s pretty rare to see F1 drivers taking public shots at each other these days. Most keep things polite and professional, carefully watching their words in front of the cameras.
But Fittipaldi thinks that’s exactly the problem.
"It’s great to see this," he said. "I think you should have less PR people around the drivers and more right foot." He added with a smile, "When the flags drop, the bull**** stops. That’s it. That’s what we need in motorsport."
The Brazilian racing icon is particularly excited about next season, when his countryman Gabriel Bortoleto joins the grid at Sauber. It’s been a while since Brazil had a regular F1 driver, and Fittipaldi can barely contain his enthusiasm.
"I’m telling all the European drivers, be watching," he warned, "because there’s young Brazilians coming along, taking many good places. We need our space back again."
Brazil has produced some of F1’s greatest champions, including Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. Now, with Bortoleto joining the grid, they might just have another star in the making.
