The last 18 months have brought many unexpected challenges for Enzo Fittipaldi.
It's so difficult to rise through the single seater ranks that, ideally, a racer needs to have as few bumps in the road as possible. So a huge crash which leaves you needing brain surgery is hardly an ideal occurrence.
But that's what Fittipaldi had to go through in late 2021. Called up to Formula 2 to race with Charouz midway through the season, he had just begun to find his feet when he scored his first points in the series in the second Jeddah Sprint race. In the feature race that same weekend came the crash in question.
Theo Pourchaire stalled on the starting grid and Fittipaldi could not avoid slamming into the back of his car. The Brazilian was airlifted to hospital after eventually being extracted from the wreckage of his car before his brother Pietro later said he had suffered a broken heel and a cut above his eye.
What only came to light a year later, again revealed by Pietro, was that he had also suffered swelling on his brain which required surgical intervention. "It was something very small – a little procedure to get some of the blood and pressure out. It's called a Burr Hole," the 21-year-old tells Mirror Sport of his ordeal.
Any form of brain surgery, no matter how invasive or complex, sounds like a terrifying prospect – but Fittipaldi insists it was "not an issue" compared to the recovery process regarding his foot. He adds: "I think going through those experiences, you learn a lot about yourself and you're able to reflect on those times.
"You can't really do anything because you're really injured for one or two weeks in the ICU and those moments were the hardest, but also you grow a lot as a person on and off the track. It was a bad experience, but after it became something good because I think I became stronger as a driver, physically and mentally. I got through it and I overcame the difficult times."
Within minutes of the start of our conversation, it becomes clear that Mirror Sport is speaking with a very wise head on young shoulders. Fittipaldi may be the subject of the interview, but he is asking questions too. How am I? And where am I speaking to him from? Logistical difficulties meant we were limited to a video chat.
And it was more than just being polite. At the very end of our conversation, he makes it very clear he was listening to my own answers – repeating back to me the location I said I was in at the time, and wishing me luck for the season, as if he's not the person who really needs it.
After all, this is a really important year for Fittipaldi's development. 2022 was the season in which he established himself on the F2 grid despite starting the campaign while still feeling the effects of that crash the previous December. Eighth in the championship and six podiums – four in feature races – he describes as a "great" result.
He has made two big changes ahead of his second full season in F2. He has joined Carlin, a team which counts the likes of Lando Norris, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel among its alumni, while he also got the call from Red Bull to join their famous driver academy.
"I'm really looking forward to it, and it's a great opportunity to be part of the Red Bull family as well," he says. "I'm extremely happy to be here, racing with such a professional team like Carlin with a great history, and I can't wait for the first race weekend.
"It's great to be in this position right now. It's time to continue trying to improve, work on myself. This year is a very important year for my career. Every year is very important, of course, but especially this year. I'm going to make the most of it and do my best."
Being part of the Red Bull academy has plenty of benefits – not least the potential opportunity to make the step up to F1. The AlphaTauri team is often used to give drivers who show they are good enough their first experience of the top single-seater category, and there could be open spots within the next 12 months.
But Fittipaldi avoids being drawn on that. "Naturally, my dream is to make it to Formula 1. At this moment, though, I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about doing my best this year." There's that wise head showing itself again.
He adds: "If you do well in Formula 2 and fight for the championship, it's only natural that you get opportunities, so I don't think about it that much at all. I just focus on doing my job on track and doing the best I can. 2023 hasn't even started so I'm not thinking about 2024."
If he does get the chance to race in F1 one day, young Enzo will be continuing a great family tradition. It began with his grandfather, Emerson Fittipaldi, one of the sport's true great who won two world championships in the 1970s.
But the family links don't end there. His great uncle Wilson was a racing driver and F1 team owner, his uncle Max Papis – Emerson's son-in-law – drove in F1 and at Le Mans and his cousin Christian raced for Minardi and the Footwork team in the 1990s. The aforementioned Pietro is the current Haas reserve driver and raced twice for the team in 2020.
Plenty of people for Enzo to go to for advice, then. He says: "[Pietro] has been there for four or five years. He's five years older than me and has lots of experience so he's always trying to guide and help me where he can.
"Me and my brother have a great relationship and we work very well together. He gives me some tips and, in my opinion, my brother is a very complete driver. I'm always trying to learn something."
Some may feel daunted by the expectation which comes with a shared surname with an F1 great, but Fittipaldi insists that does not apply to him. "Obviously there's a lot of family history in this sport. I'm the only one yet to race in F1... It's an honour to be able to carry this name on track, but I'm here to make my name and that's Enzo Fittipaldi.
"It doesn't add any pressure at all. At the end of the day, I'm doing what I love and it's crazy to think that I'm going out there and racing cars around a track at 320kph. I enjoy every second of it and having my name doesn't add any pressure at all. The only one who adds pressure to me is myself, wanting to be better every single day. I'm always trying to improve on something."
So with that in mind, what is Fittipaldi hoping to achieve in this 2023 season? "My goal this year is very clear – it's to have a shot at the F2 title.
"I think I'm in a good position to be able to fight for it and Carlin is a very good team. We're going to work very well together to try to achieve that. So the goal for this year is to try to fight for the F2 title and, at the end of the year, we'll see."
