Five Questions With ... Christian Fittipaldi

Subtitle:Driver Of The No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP

Christian Fittipaldi achieved a life-long goal last weekend when he won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, joining Joao Barbosa in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP in winning the Brickyard Grand Prix 19 years after he finished second in his lone Indianapolis 500 and was Rookie of the Year in 1995.

Fittipaldi opened the season with his second victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He and Barbosa currently lead the Prototype class in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.Fittipaldi joined Action Express Racing for the 2011 Rolex 24, finishing third with Barbosa and Max Papis. He joined the team fulltime in 2013.The native of Sao Paolo Brazil raced in Formula One between 1992 and 1994, scoring a pair of fourth-place finishes. He ran in CART from 1995-2002, winning two races – including Road America in 1999. 

What were your feelings when you were jumping up and down on pit road at Indy after Joao Barbosa took the checkered flag in the Brickyard Grand Prix?“It was a combination of A- obviously winning Indy, and B- being back in a strong position for the championship. Not that we weren’t at the beginning of the race, but the races are clicking off and there is only X amount of time to get the job done. It was really important to get back in a strong position for the championship. In my mind, those were the major things that led to the jumping up and down and happiness in the pits.”Action Express Racing came to the season-opening Rolex 24 expecting to win, and back at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park you said the team was taking a similar approach to Indy. Was the team that confident going into both races?“I can be very adamant about the Rolex 24. But every race we go to, the team motto is “Expect to win.” Now, are we going to be able to win? Is the luck going to be on our side? Are the other guys going to be more capable? But we’re always expecting to win, and if an opportunity falls in our lap we’re definitely going to take it. I think at the two races where we won this year it was very clear that we dominated the races. We didn’t inherit either race. We were very competitive at the Rolex 24 and Indy. But at the Rolex 24, we had the car that did more miles in testing than anyone else. I think it paid off, and we capitalized on that in the race. Coming to Indy, it wasn’t that the stars all suddenly aligned and the No. 5 decided to go quick. I would say we were knocking on the door several times this year, but for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. But the No. 5 was going all the time.”You mentioned leading the championship. How strong do you think the team is with only three races remaining?“No doubt about it, right now the major goal is the championship. The second goal is the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – which, coincidently we’re also leading, but we don’t have to deal with that until the last race of the year (Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta on Oct. 4). We’re going to do all we can to clinch the championship, and then go on to our second goal. If we can get both of them done, it’s going to be pretty much a dream season.”We’re returning to Road America, where last year both the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron were side-by-side in the paddock. What are your thoughts on the TUDOR Championship returning there? “I think that the merger has come together pretty good. It takes a little time for it to sink in. There’s never a situation where you can make 100-percent of the people happy all the time. As far as the technical issues are concerned, considering the differences between the cars – which in my opinion are huge – IMSA managed to do a very good job. It can’t get any closer than this. Right now, it’s really close. They need to keep working and tweak a little bit here and there, but I think our first season together is going really, really good.”How is the chemistry working between you and Joao?“I have had pretty good chemistry in the past with another two guys or so, but it has never been like it is now between me and Joao. We are fighting for exactly the same goal, and we’re both going to do whatever needs to be done to make the No. 5 win. Our team has one motto, and that is to go out there and try to win races.”