Famous Brazilian Race Car Drivers

Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian racing driver. Widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Ayrton had won the prestigious F1 World Drivers' Championship thrice. Following his fatal accident in 1994, several safety improvements were introduced to the sports' set-up; higher crash safety standards, redesigned tracks, and improved crash barriers became part of the sport.

Rubens Barrichello is a Brazilian racing driver best known for competing in Formula One and scoring 11 Grand Prix wins between 1993 and 2011. From 2000 to 2005, he drove for Ferrari as Michael Schumacher's teammate and contributed to five constructors' titles for Ferrari.

Emerson Fittipaldi is a Brazilian retired racing driver best known for winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One World Championship twice each. In 1972, he won the World Drivers' Championship at the age of 25, becoming the youngest F1 world champion. In 2001, Emerson Fittipaldi was made an inductee of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

While he initially excelled in tennis, Nelson Piquet later made a name for himself as one of Brazil’s top racers. A 3-time world champion, the Formula One star later also ventured into business. He owned a GPS-tracking company and also launched the racing team Piquet Sports.

Brazilian racing driver Hélio Castroneves is a 4-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Though accused of tax evasion once, he was eventually acquitted the charge. He has also been part of the show Dancing with the Stars and gained the nickname Spider-Man for his unique way of celebrating one of his track victories.

Felipe Massa is a Brazilian racing driver who participated in Formula One from 2002 to 2017, during which he gained 11 Grand Prix victories. In 2006, he became the first Brazilian after Ayrton Senna da Silva to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Tony Kanaan is a Brazilian racing driver best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 as well as the IndyCar Series championship in 2004. In 2015, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. Tony Kanaan has also appeared on TV and films like Driven and IndyCar 36.

Enzo Fittipaldi is a Brazilian-American racing driver. He is the grandson of two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. He currently drives for Charouz Racing System in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and was previously associated with FIA Formula 3 Championship. He was one of the five drivers invited to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016. 

Felipe Nasr is a Brazilian professional car racer best known for winning the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship. He has also competed in other prestigious motorsport races such as Formula BMW, Formula Three, Formula One, and IndyCar Series.

Christian Fittipaldi is a Brazilian retired racing driver best known for competing in various forms of motorsport such as Champ Car, Formula One, and NASCAR. He achieved prominence in the early 1990s when he was a highly rated young racing driver.

Lucas di Grassi is a Brazilian racing driver. He is best known for competing in the Formula E World Championship. Lucas di Grassi is also credited with co-founding the eSkootr Championship, an electric scooter racing series.

French-born Brazilian racer Gil de Ferran is also known as The Professor for his technical expertise and engineering background. An Indianapolis 500 winner, he has also headed the BAR-Honda Formula One team as its sporting director. He also holds the current closed-course speed world record.

Roberto Moreno is a Brazilian former racing driver best known for competing in 75 Formula One Grands Prix. Late in his career, Moreno came to be known as a Super Sub as he was often used to replace injured drivers.