– Formula 1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi calls the Lotus 72 his favorite car in Grand Prix racing. “That was the best car of my entire career,” said the two-time world champion in the podcast “Beyond The Grid”.
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“We developed the car throughout the entire year with Colin [Chapman],” explains Fittipaldi. “We worked on the suspension geometry, downforce, and the aerodynamics.”
“But on the track, it was always an incredible car. I would come back to the paddock, share a look with him, and then coordinate briefly with him. It was an extension of my body.”
From 1970 to 1973, the future McLaren driver raced for Colin Chapman’s team. In the Lotus 72, Fittipaldi managed to win the Formula 1 World Championship in 1972. The second world title followed in 1974 in the McLaren M23.
Especially Lotus icon Chapman played an important role for the Indy 500 champion of 1989 and 1993: “Colin was a genius, and he had the right instinct for how to tune a car,” explains the 79-year-old.
“I remember how he would place two fingers [on his temple] when I talked about the car. Then the right solution would promptly follow. It was incredible because there was no telemetry back then. It was just a feeling. You told Colin something, he dealt with it and improved the car. It was a fantastic car.”
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Emerson Fittipaldi in the Lotus 72
The M23, which Fittipaldi was recently seen driving in Miami, is described by the two-time champion in the podcast as a more conventional car. “Lotus had torsion bars, which made it difficult to get the right angle,” explains Fittipaldi.
“We worked on it all the time. At McLaren, the car was more conventional, but we had three different wheelbases. We had a long wheelbase, a medium wheelbase, and a short wheelbase for short tracks like Monaco.”
“There was also a good example of McLaren’s logistics. We could adjust the weight distribution so that on short tracks we ran with more weight on the front axle. We had more preparation from track to track to adapt the M23 to different courses and characteristics, especially compared to Lotus. That was thanks to Alastair Caldwell and Gordon Coppuck.”
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In the end, the Paulista has 14 wins in the Formula 1 World Championship to his name. After his stint at McLaren, he spent five more or less successful years with a self-built racing team. Later, further successes followed in the CART series.
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