Pietro Fittipaldi crowned champion at Silverstone

After securing the Protyre Formula Renault Championship win ahead of time at Croft, Pietro added a 13th podium to his season before officially being awarded the series title on Sunday afternoon.

Pietro and his MGR team arrived at Silverstone with an air of confidence. Having proved his dominance, taking 10 wins over the season, Silverstone was a chance for Pietro Fittipaldi to approach the race without the pressure of a title fight.

With grandfather Emerson Fittipaldi watching from the pits and the TV cameras looking on, Pietro started Saturday’s race in P4. He confidently pursued MGR teammate Matteo Ferrer to break into the top three. Ferrer doggedly held position until lap 14 when, after significant pressure and a signature fastest lap from Pietro, his resolve buckled with a spin at Becketts and Pietro moving to third place, which he held to the end.

It’s been a great year, we won 10 races and it’s just been really unbelievable.

Pietro Fittipaldi

Pietro approached Sunday with the zeal you’d expect from a champion in waiting. With pole position his, this looked set to be Pietro’s race, but an electrical problem in the first four laps saw him slip to fifth. However, Pietro’s resolve was seemingly unbreakable; he pressed ahead, laying down his second fastest lap of the weekend, to catch up to third after some accomplished overtakes. He maintained pressure on Hickin and Noble in first and second right to the end, gaining ground with every turn. The track eventually ran out with the leaders hanging on and Pietro taking third.

Confident that with a couple more laps he would have taken the race, Pietro and the MGR team took to the podium for a champagne celebration of a season well done and some fresh silverware for the trophy cabinet.

After yet another display of his racing prowess and a seventh racing championship to his name, Pietro is positive about his future and elated with the season’s results saying “It’s been a great year, we won 10 races and it’s just been really unbelievable.”

CHAMPION: Pietro Fittipaldi, 431pts; 2nd Piers Hickin, 366pts; 3rd Matteo Ferrer, 347pts; 4th Alex Gill, 342pts; 5th Colin Noble Jnr, 286pts; 6th Travis Jordan ‘TJ’, Fischer, 240pts

Pietro Fittipaldi Web Site