Carlos Pace

Interesting facts

As a boy he lived in Italy with his family for years and became more fluent in Italian than Portuguese, which earned him the nickname 'Moco' once he returned to Brazil. Wilson and Emerson Fittipaldi were the ones who first encouraged him into karting in Sao Paulo, and the three grew up racing together. His only grand prix win came on home ground at Interlagos in 1975, driving for Brabham, a victory his family and friends could celebrate trackside. His wife Elda described him as unusually soft-hearted away from the track, often moved to tears by other drivers' crashes. He died on 18 March 1977 when a light aircraft he was flying crashed near Sao Paulo, just thirteen days after Tom Pryce had been killed at the South African Grand Prix. Interlagos was renamed the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in his memory, and in August 2024 his remains were moved to the circuit itself, making him the first driver ever buried at a race track. His move from Surtees to Brabham in 1974 proved the turning point of his career, setting up his strongest season in 1975 with pole position in South Africa and podiums at Monaco and Silverstone. Carlos Pace made his Formula 1 debut in 1972 and raced until 1977, 6 seasons in total as a Brazilian driver. He scored a total of 58 championship points over his career. His best season was 1975, when he finished 6th in the championship with 24 points.