The F1 scene is flooded with images of one man only- the triumphant Max Verstappen. Confetti, champagne, P1 trophies, and glorious victory poses. Verstappen is enjoying being in the prime of his career. And it is this imagery that is being seared into the minds of the juniors hoping to accompany him. Enzo Fittipaldi, a doting junior and F1 hopeful opens up on the impact that Verstappen has on his career.
The Red Bull Academy recently faced a lot of flak after the early dismissal of Nyck deVries. Replacing their driver in the junior team 10 races into the season, with someone like Daniel Ricciardo- who is an experienced F1 driver- brought into question the ultimate objectives of the Academy.
And this has been a growing problem for the team from the start. With just four seats available, three, if you remove Verstappen from the mix, their ever-growing talent pool of F1 hopefuls could lead to some painful goodbyes.
Enzo Fittipaldi bears the historic surname of his grandfather Emerson Fittipaldi, a double F1 world champion. Looking to continue the legacy, Enzo hopes to make it into F1. As a Red Bull junior, his eyes are focused on one seat.
Max Verstappen plays a role model
Having recently bagged his maiden F2 win, Enzo was excited about what he had to offer. And somewhere in all that excitement, the potential of the future dawned on him. The last successful Red Bull prodigy to make it into F1 was Verstappen, and boy did he make it.
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Thus, the benchmark has been set for Enzo Fittipaldi. Talking to SkySports he said, “Max is winning every single race – he’s just so fast.” Verstappen’s climb to the top from being the youngest-ever F1 rookie is now a tale of inspiration. “And for young drivers coming up the ladders – personally, I look up to Max – he’s one of the best, if not the best of all time.”
To be a part of such glory and honor, Fittipaldi dons the Red Bull logo on his chest with pride. “They’re just dominating right now, and being part of the Red Bull family and a driver in the Red Bull junior team – it’s super amazing to be a part of the greatest Formula 1 team of all time.”
Fittipaldi impresses Red Bull
Currently, all eyes are on the Red Bull second seat. Who will be the chosen one to become Verstappen’s worthy teammate? Will Perez live up to the expectations? If not, there is a growing line of suitors ready to knock on Red Bull’s doors. Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris, Liam Lawson, and now, Enzo.
𝐗 wins for Max in 2023 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/oqL6pSYT1m
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 14, 2023
Fresh off the top step of the podium, he hopes to have impressed the man himself, Helmut Marko. “Right now what I’m focused on is continuing to do well, continuing to improve as a driver every time I go out on track, and hopefully, opportunities will show. Dr Marko at the race weekend congratulated me for the race victory.”
With the objective of incentivizing Marko to invest in him, Fittipaldi will have to make consistently deliver to secure a spot in the big league by 2024.
