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Fittipaldi: How I broke into Formula 1

In an extract from his new book, two-time F1 world champion EMERSON FITTIPALDI shares the story of his whirlwind journey to superstardom with the iconic Team Lotus

In 1968, I had a long talk with my Anglo-Brazilian friend Jerry Cunningham, with whom I'd just won the 1967 Formula Vee championship, about what we should do next. I had proved that I was quick enough to win races in Brazil, but I had no idea whether I would be good enough to compete against the best drivers in the world.

You have to realise that, as a 21-year-old Brazilian who'd never left my home country, I regarded guys like Graham Hill and Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart as heroes from another universe.

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