After its first year of learning, the Brazilian team Copersucar Fittipaldi prepared to take on 1976 as the season of its definitive breakthrough. Wilson Fittipaldi permanently stepped down from his role as a driver to fully dedicate himself to managing his team. To replace him, he convinced none other than his brother Emerson Fittipaldi, fresh from winning the World Championship with McLaren. To the astonishment of the entire Formula 1 paddock, Emerson Fittipaldi agreed to embrace this romantic challenge, although he persuaded his brother to move the team’s headquarters from Brazil to Europe, specifically to Reading, England, where almost all the teams were based.
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| FITTIPALDI FD04, Emerson Fittipaldi Nürburgring, German GP 1976 |
The single-seater with which the Brazilian team tackled the 1976 season was once again designed by Richard Divila and was the new FD04. Thanks to Copersucar’s financial support, the team managed to secure a good initial budget, allowing them to develop a car with a new aluminum monocoque chassis, powered by the reliable Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine, paired with a Hewland FGA 400 five-speed gearbox. Aesthetically, the new car had a much more conventional design compared to previous Copersucar models, featuring a low, flat nose, streamlined side pods, and two radiators positioned at the end of the side pods.
FITTIPALDI FD04, Emerson Fittipaldi
Montecarlo, GP di Monaco 1976
In front of the rear wheels, the bodywork was raised to create a sort of fairing, while the engine cover was completely absent, allowing the engine to breathe freely without the need for air intakes. Throughout the season, the team also experimented with a modified front wing, featuring small wheel fairings on the sides and a full-width overhanging rear wing.
FITTIPALDI FD04, Emerson Fittipaldi
Kyalami, GP del Sud Africa 1976
The new FD04 had a wheelbase of 2341 mm and a weight of 640 kg, which prevented it from being competitive against the best cars on the grid. Emerson Fittipaldi, along with his occasional teammate Ingo Hoffman, also Brazilian, never managed to consistently compete at the front, occasionally securing only three sixth-place finishes.
FITTIPALDI FD04, Emerson Fittipaldi
Nürburgring, German GP 1976
The three points collected during the 1976 season were far from enough to justify the enormous financial investment made by the sponsor. Tensions grew between technical director Richard Divila and team manager Wilson Fittipaldi, leading to Divila’s dismissal. He was replaced at the end of the season by Dave Baldwin, a former engineer from Ensign.
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