After losing its Copersucar sponsorship, which, alongside the Brazilian government, had supported Wilson Fittipaldi’s project for five years, Emerson Fittipaldi’s brother had to find new funding to continue competing in Formula 1. Thanks to Skol, the Brazilian branch of a Danish multinational beer company, not only could Fittipaldi Automotive continue, but the team also secured enough resources to completely overhaul its structure, acquiring all the technical and human resources of the now-defunct Canadian Walter Wolf Racing, a remarkable team that, during its three years in F1, had only employed World Champion drivers.
FITTIPALDI F8, Keke Rosberg
Montréal, Canadian GP 1980
The "reborn" Brazilian team welcomed designer Harvey Postlethwaite, the architect of Hesketh's success, and Finnish driver Keke Rosberg, who joined Emerson Fittipaldi as the second driver. No major investments were made at the start of the 1980 championship, and the car used at the season opener in Argentina was simply the Wolf WR7, revised by Postlethwaite, who was already working on designing a new model.
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| FITTIPALDI F7, Emerson Fittipaldi Long Beach, USA West GP 1980 |
The WR7 was renamed the Fittipaldi F7. Though a year old, it proved not particularly fast but highly reliable, a valuable trait in that era of Formula 1. Rosberg and Fittipaldi surprisingly secured two third-place finishes in Buenos Aires and Long Beach, which remained the team's best results in 1980. Postlethwaite’s new creation, the Fittipaldi F8, was only ready by July and debuted at the British Grand Prix, initially driven only by Emerson, with Rosberg getting his hands on it from the following race.
FITTIPALDI F8, Keke Rosberg
Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1980
The F8’s design, following ground-effect principles, featured significantly new aerodynamic concepts compared to its predecessor, particularly in how airflow was channeled through the car. It had a conventional aluminum monocoque chassis reinforced with honeycomb panels for added rigidity. As usual, it was powered by the classic Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine, paired with a Hewland FGA 400 gearbox. The development of the F8 was a major technological and financial effort for Fittipaldi Automotive, aimed at propelling the team to the next level, but in reality, the results were disappointing, once again falling short of expectations.
FITTIPALDI F8, Emerson Fittipaldi
Zolder, Belgian GP 1980
The car was indeed faster than its predecessor but much more fragile. Postlethwaite had to employ rather extreme aerodynamic solutions to generate high downforce, leading to frequent mechanical failures. Rosberg often performed well in qualifying, only to be let down by technical issues in the race. Meanwhile, a demotivated Emerson Fittipaldi decided to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season to seek new challenges in American racing. The main sponsor, Skol, also withdrew its support, marking the beginning of Fittipaldi Automotive’s decline.
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