Young Brazilians show that the period without Brazilian representation in F1 appears to be coming to an end
After the first full year without Brazilians in Formula 1 in four decades, it has become commonplace to say that Brazil is experiencing a shortage of talent heading to the top of world motorsports. But all it takes is a visit to one of the stages of the WSK, a type of world karting championship held in several stages in Europe, to realize that in fact the young generation of Brazilian karters has everything it needs to shine on the world's tracks soon.
Reporter Rodrigo França went to Lonato, Italy, considered the “center of the universe” when it comes to karting competitions. It is no coincidence that more than 350 drivers from 44 different countries competed in the races on the traditional South Garda circuit, very close to the lake of the same name that makes the region one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.
But in winter, the competition is different: by tenths of a second. And the photos in the kart track's snack bar and restaurant show that the main names in F1 in recent years have left WSK: Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso — the Spaniard, by the way, was there this past weekend following drivers aged 8 to 15 who struggle to pass the F-1 “sieve”.
WSK kart championship in Italy (WSK/Disclosure)
Brazil is currently represented by seven drivers: Rafael Câmara, Matheus Ferreira and Vinicius Tessaro in OK Junior (for drivers up to 13 years old), Gabriel Bortoleto, Guilherme Figueiredo and Matheus Morgatto in OK (the last step before entering the formulas) and Enzo Bettamio in the 60-Mini (the entry category, for the youngest drivers, up to 12 years old).
The yellow-green squad will also soon have Ricardo Gracia (Brazilian kart champion), Gaetano de Mauro (who competes in Stock Car but also accelerates in KZ, in the fastest karts, with gear) and Julia Ayoub — who won a selective between drivers from several countries and joined the FIA program that aims to support a greater female presence in motorsport.
Participation in specific programs, by the way, is one of the great attractions of the WSK – the F1 teams even maintain “scouts” in European competitions in order to scout young talents and sign contracts with future stars when they are still in the game. kart. This was the case of Monegasque Charles Leclerc – who last year debuted in F1 and in 2019 will race for Ferrari – at just 21 years old.
WSK kart championship in Italy (WSK/Disclosure)
“Until a few years ago, Leclerc was here accelerating in the WSK and this shows how much this category trains drivers for F1 today”, says the young man from Pernambuco, Rafael Câmara. At 13 years old, he is already part of one of the main European teams, Birel Art, and won the Adria stage of the WSK this year and is currently in third place in the championship – in total, there are 105 participating drivers.
Just like the entrance exam, the competition for the dream of being a pilot is a lot of pressure. With the important difference: here, the competition is against competitors from all over the world. And, in addition to having talent, drivers still need to attract the attention of F1 teams at a young age — Caio Collet, who competed in karting until 2017, signed this year with Renault. Enzo Fittipaldi and Gianluca Petecof are two other Brazilians who are in F-1 programs at the Ferrari Academy.
With the entry of Pietro Fittipaldi as a test driver at Haas and Sergio Sette Câmara at McLaren, the Brazilians show that the period without Brazilian representation in F-1 appears to be coming to an end. And, with so many young talents showing service at the WSK bases, the Brazilian Anthem has everything to return to the scene soon on the world's podiums.
By Rodrigo França / VIP Exam
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