In 1976, Fittipaldi-Copersucar entered a new phase, taking on a deeper involvement in Formula 1. In addition to fielding two cars, the team now featured Emerson Fittipaldi, who replaced Wilson at the wheel, leaving the latter solely in management.
Copersucar matched the salary Emerson received at McLaren, banking on the visibility and experience of the two-time world champion. To accompany this change, Ricardo Divila, with the support of Maurice Phillippe, designed the FD04, a completely new, lighter, and more conventional model with side radiators and outboard suspension. However, the excessive flexibility of the chassis affected its competitiveness. Despite this, Emerson managed to take the car to the points at Watkins Glen, Monaco, and Brands Hatch.
The pressure to improve led to the hiring of engineer David Baldwin, who began developing a new model for 1977. At the beginning of the year, the FD04 was used with new colors designed by Sid Mosca (famous for designing the helmets of Senna and Schumacher, among others), which included yellow to reinforce the Brazilian identity. Emerson had a promising start, with an excellent fourth place at the Argentine GP, repeated at Interlagos, where Ingo Hoffmann finished seventh in his Formula 1 farewell. From then on, Copersucar entered only one car.
The performance of the FD04 remained competitive, with a fifth place at the US GP, but it gradually lost effectiveness in the final phase of the season. In South Africa, the Copersucar did not go beyond tenth place, but at the United States Grand Prix, Fittipaldi once again showed consistency with a fifth-place finish. However, the FD04’s farewell would be less brilliant, with a 14th place in Spain and a retirement in Monaco due to an engine failure.
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Brand: Copersucar Fittipaldi
Year: 1977
Country: Brazil
Power: 450 hp
Cylinders: 8
Displacement: 2993 cc
Gears: 5
Weight: 620 kg