Emerson Fittipaldi Jr on AIX Signing and preparations for 2026

6 November 2025

Emerson Fittipaldi Jr joins AIX Racing in 2026 and steps up to FIA Formula 2, a prospect he has called “a great opportunity.”

The Brazilian has already begun his preparations courtesy of his early announcement relative to the rest of the F2 grid so far, and it’s an advantageous position to be in as he explained when discussing his AIX signing.

“I’m happy to be stepping up to Formula 2,” Fittipaldi Jr said. “It’s a great opportunity. Having been confirmed so early helps because you know your seat is secure and now you can continue working through the year and know you’re set for next season.

“That also means that you start your work a lot earlier, and I’m putting in the work already, way, way earlier than it can sometimes be, so it’s great.”

Speaking about the work that he’s already undertaken ahead of his F2 debut, Fittipaldi Jr says the AIX team had been very proactive in getting him prepared as much as possible early.

Work on the simulator with the team’s current charger in Joshua Duerksen has been invaluable according to the 18-year-old, who says that having a current driver in the Championship as a reference point had been extremely useful.

“It’s been intense so far. I’ve been doing a lot of simulator work with the team already this year for most of the races, preparing with Joshua Duerksen and he’s been helping me a lot this year.

Fittipaldi Jr has been in attendance at races in 2025 with AIX to speed up his learning process

“He’s a second-year driver, so he has a lot of experience, and he’s been helping me with some tips and tricks.

“It’s great having someone to compare to that is racing in F2 this year on the team I’ll be competing with next year. He has great experience and is achieving great results.

“I think everybody is really excited for this season, which also motivates everyone for what we can achieve next year, so we’re very excited.”

He has also been able to attend races during the 2025 campaign to better understand how the team operates on a race weekend.

It has all combined into very useful experiences for the Brazilian rookie ahead of the post-season tests and the first chance he’ll get in the F2 car ahead of next year.

“I’ve been to a couple of the races this year to be with the team and to learn how the weekend works and to go through all the meetings with them. It’s great because I’ve been able to work with the team and personnel before even racing with them.

“I want to learn and do as much as possible so I can get adapted with the car and with the format as quickly as possible, because it's very different for what I'm used to. It's going to be a learning season for me.

“It'll be great to get to the test and work those first few days with the car. I just want to get used to the car and learn every single thing I can in the limited time we have with the car, with the focus to improve every day.”