Fittipaldi Jr to make car racing debut in Danish F4 series in 2021

Fittipaldi – the son of the two-time Formula 1 world champion and Indy 500 winner of the same name – turned 14 years old this month.

That makes him eligible for the Danish series, which allows drivers to race at 14 as long as they turn 15 within a year of the season starting.

Juju Noda, the daughter of ex-F1 driver Hideki, also took advantage of a similar ruling within the category last year.

He has been racing in European karting so far this year, as a part of the Alfa Romeo F1 team’s talent programme, Sauber Academy.

“I look forward to getting my formula car debut and getting to know the Danish racetracks,” said Fittipaldi Jr, who tested an F4 car at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year. “Even though I do not much about Denmark, the series and tracks, I believe that this is a great opportunity to learn a lot from the Scandinavian drivers, and I look very much forward to that.”

The Fittipaldi family has relocated to Italy from Miami, USA, this year as ‘Little Emmo’ has been racing in the OK karting category across Europe.

Danish F4 promoter Alex Stubberup Frederichsen has welcomed Fittipaldi to his series: “It is certainly very positive news that the Fittipaldi name will appear on the starting list, and I think that some drivers will take pride in having their name above his on the results – so he should probably be challenged.

“We have had some good talk about the class and how everything works in Denmark, and I am sure that Emerson will have a good and educational season with us.”

The Danish Formula 4 series – for 160bhp Renault-powered Mygale single-seaters – kicks off at Padborg Park on 24-25 April, and Fittipaldi could also take in some NACAM F4 races in Mexico later in the year.

Fittipaldi Jr is backed by Miami-based Brand Institute, which has pledged to support his aim to follow his father’s footsteps into Formula 1.