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F1 vs. IndyCar: Having Won Both Championships, Emerson Fittipaldi Picks One Over the Other

Anirban Aly Mandal
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F1 vs. IndyCar: Having Won Both Championships, Emerson Fittipaldi Picks One Over the Other

F1 and IndyCar are two extremely prestigious Championships in motorsports, and Emerson Fittipaldi is one of the few drivers to have won both titles. While comparing the two would be difficult because of the differences in their cars and format, Fittipaldi has a preference.

Fittipaldi, who won the F1 World Championship with Lotus (1972) and McLaren (1974), left F1 at the end of the 1980 season. After a four-year hiatus, he joined Indy – known as CART Championship back then – and won the 1989 Title with Penske-Chevrolet by a margin of 10 points over Rick Mears.

On the most recent episode of The MotorMouth podcast, Fittipaldi was asked to choose between two categories he became a Champion in. The 77-year-old pointed out that there were stark differences between both disciplines. From a racer’s perspective, however, his choice was clear. He said,

“I would say, outside of the cockpit, I [love] IndyCar. But you know my life is inside the cockpit – that’s been the most enjoyable part of my life. I have had many miles in both, F1 and IndyCar!”

Fittipaldi is one of four drivers to have won both the F1 and IndyCar Championships. The other three who accompany him in this list are — Mario Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve, and Nigel Mansell.

American racing icon Andretti won four Indy Titles in 1965, 1966, 1969, and 1984, and also won the F1 Championship in 1978.

Villeneuve won IndyCar in 1995 before joining Williams in F1 and winning the Championship there just two years later. Mansell meanwhile, won the F1 Championship in 1992, and the very next year, went on to earn the IndyCar crown.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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