Massimiliano “Max” Papis (born 3 October 1969) is an Italian racing driver whose wonderfully varied career has included Formula One, Champ Car, IndyCar, NASCAR, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and just about everything in between. A three-time Champ Car winner, Papis has also competed in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and is part of one of motorsport’s best-known families as the son-in-law of two-time Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Italian |
| Birthplace | Como, Italy |
| Born | 3 October 1969 |
| First Grand Prix | 1995 British Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1995 European Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1995 |
| Current/Last Team | Footwork |
Personal life
Born in Como, Italy, Papis caught the racing bug early. He began in karting, winning races and competing successfully in Italian club events before climbing the familiar European single-seater ladder.
Away from the circuit, motorsport remains firmly a family affair. Papis is married to Tatiana, daughter of Emerson Fittipaldi, and they have two sons, Marco and Matteo. Their godfathers are hardly short of racing credentials either: Alex Zanardi is Marco’s godfather, while Dario Franchitti is Matteo’s. Papis’ children are also cousins of racing drivers Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi.
In 2009, Max and Tatiana founded Max Papis Innovations (MPI), producing motorsport equipment including steering wheels, quick-release systems, racing gloves and seats for both real-world competition and sim racing.
Papis was also part of the close-knit group of CART racers sometimes known as the “brat pack”, alongside Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and the late Greg Moore. They were fierce competitors when the helmets went on, but close friends once racing was finished for the day.
Career
Formula One
Papis reached Formula One after winning in Formula 3000 and spending 1994 as a test driver for Lotus. His Grand Prix opportunity arrived midway through 1995 when cash-strapped Footwork brought him in to replace Gianni Morbidelli for seven races, with Papis also bringing valuable sponsorship to the team.
His debut came at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and it provided an immediate lesson in how unforgiving Formula One could be. After clipping the pit-lane wall following a tyre change, Papis suffered a spectacular puncture and suspension failure. Things didn’t become much calmer afterwards. A transmission problem left him stranded on the grid at Hockenheim, while at Monza he spun on dust and oil thrown onto the circuit by David Coulthard at the Ascari Chicane, helping trigger a first-lap pile-up and restart.
Papis sometimes struggled to get comfortable with the Footwork and was occasionally outpaced by teammate Taki Inoue, but there were glimpses of what he could do. In the restarted Italian Grand Prix he came agonisingly close to scoring a World Championship point, only for Jean-Christophe Boullion‘s Sauber to take sixth place from him on the final lap.
When Morbidelli returned, Papis’ Formula One opportunity disappeared. Rather than wait around Europe for another chance, he looked west. America would prove a much better fit.
Champ Car
Papis joined CART in 1996, taking over the seat vacated following the death of Jeff Krosnoff in the Toronto race. His breakthrough came after joining Team Rahal in 1999. He nearly won the US 500 at Michigan before running out of fuel and nevertheless ended the season an impressive fifth in the championship.
His first Champ Car victory arrived in the opening round of the 2000 season. Papis couldn’t turn that early success into a top-ten championship finish, but 2001 was stronger: he won twice and finished sixth overall. Despite those results, his relationship with the team deteriorated, with two collisions involving teammate Kenny Bräck contributing to his departure.
For 2002 he joined Sigma Autosport and scored third-place finishes at Long Beach and Milwaukee before financial problems forced the team to close. A partial campaign with PK Racing followed in 2003, producing a best finish of fourth at Road America.
Papis also tackled the Indianapolis 500 with Cheever Racing in 2002 and 2006, finishing 14th on his second attempt. By this stage his attention was increasingly shifting towards sports cars, and as Champ Car struggled for entries following several teams’ move to the IRL, Papis memorably remarked that the championship needed him more than he needed it.
IndyCar
Papis also made appearances in the Indy Racing League and IndyCar, racing at various points between 2001 and 2009 for operations including Roger Penske’s team, Andretti Green Racing and Panther Racing.
His friendships within American open-wheel racing remained strong long after his regular driving appearances ended. When longtime friend Tony Kanaan finally won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013, Papis and Alex Zanardi joined the celebrations.
Papis later moved to the other side of race control. In 2016, IndyCar appointed him as a race steward alongside two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and Dan Davis.
ASCAR
Papis’ taste for trying different machinery took him to Britain in 2003. He made his ASCAR Racing Series debut on 8 June, joining Team HTML and driving its No. 68 Pontiac at Rockingham Motor Speedway.
He finished 14th overall in the third round of the championship. It proved to be his only ASCAR appearance, with Derek Hayes taking over the car for the remainder of the season.
NASCAR
NASCAR provided another substantial chapter. Papis made his debut in August 2006, driving for McGill Motorsports in the Busch Series at Watkins Glen after Tim Sauter left the team. He also attempted to qualify for the Cup race that weekend, although he failed to make the field.
Phoenix Racing signed him for two races in 2007, and he immediately made an impression at Montreal. In the inaugural NAPA 200, Papis survived the late drama surrounding Marcos Ambrose and Robby Gordon to finish third. A week later at Watkins Glen, his race lasted just two laps before engine failure intervened.
His NASCAR Cup debut finally arrived at Infineon Raceway in 2008, where he substituted for Scott Riggs in Haas CNC Racing’s No. 66 Chevrolet. He was also lined up for three Nationwide road-course appearances with Rusty Wallace, Inc., while Haas brought him back in its No. 70 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen.
A bigger opportunity followed with Germain Racing’s No. 13 GEICO Toyota. Papis was scheduled for 18 Cup races in 2009 before moving into a full-time programme in 2010. His first season with a regular Cup ride produced a career-best eighth at Watkins Glen, along with 12th at Infineon and a best starting position of 15th at Fontana.
He came tantalisingly close to another major result at Daytona in February 2010. Papis had one of the quickest trucks in the field, led laps and looked capable of winning before being caught in an accident with 15 laps remaining.
His 2010 Cup campaign included a top-30 result in the Daytona 500, a failure to qualify at Bristol and a promising Talladega run ended by another accident. There was more heartbreak in the Nationwide Series at Montreal. Driving for Richard Childress Racing, Papis led on the final lap before taking too much kerb at the final corner, allowing Boris Said through and leaving the Italian second.
After Watkins Glen, Germain announced that Casey Mears would replace Papis in its Cup programme for 2011, with Papis moving into the team’s Truck Series operation. A partial Truck campaign that year left him 18th in the championship standings.
Road courses remained his speciality. At Road America in 2011, Papis was running strongly before Jacques Villeneuve spun him with two laps remaining. Papis responded after the race by blocking Villeneuve on pit road, where the pair exchanged words. Twelve months later he returned and finished fourth.
Papis also made a one-off appearance in the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Kawartha Speedway, driving Scott Steckly’s No. 24 Dodge. Starting 16th, he finished 21st.
Road America delivered more fireworks in 2013. Papis spent much of the race inside the top five but was spun twice in the closing stages. Afterwards, an angry Papis confronted Billy Johnson, who had been involved in one of the incidents, and slapped him before officials separated the pair. Papis subsequently apologised for his actions.
Later that summer he received a high-profile Cup call-up when Tony Stewart broke his leg in a sprint-car accident. Papis substituted in Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen and delivered a solid top-15 finish. He also drove for Richard Childress Racing in the inaugural Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio, finishing fourth.
At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park that September, Papis drove for NTS Motorsports in the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at the circuit. He finished sixth after making contact with Mike Skeen on the final lap. The confrontation continued after the chequered flag when Skeen’s girlfriend slapped Papis, reportedly dislocating his jaw.
Papis also returned to European NASCAR in 2013, contesting four NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Elite 1 races. Two came in OverDrive’s No. 33 Chevrolet and two in the No. 19 entered by his own Max Papis Racing operation. His best result was second at Tours Speedway. In 2014, his team continued in the championship, fielding the No. 99 for Kevin Gilardoni.
Another American NASCAR appearance followed in 2017, when Papis drove Eric McClure’s No. 13 Toyota in the K&N Pro Series East at Watkins Glen. He started 17th and finished 18th after an engine failure.
Other racing
Apparently deciding that conventional racing cars weren’t quite enough, Papis added Stadium Super Trucks to his CV in 2016. He made his debut during the Honda Indy Toronto weekend, driving the No. 9 truck and recording finishes of 11th and seventh.
“Mad Max”
The nickname that perhaps best sums up Papis’ career was earned during an extraordinary final stint at the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona.
His second-placed Ferrari 333 SP had endured a bruising race, with damaged bodywork being held together in places by tape. That didn’t stop Papis from launching an all-out pursuit of the leading Doyle Racing Riley & Scott-Oldsmobile driven by Wayne Taylor.
Taylor was nursing an overheating car and trying to preserve it to the finish. Papis did the opposite. He unlapped himself against the leader and began producing some of the fastest laps of the entire 24-hour race, turning what should have been a comfortable run to the flag into an unlikely chase for victory.
There was a price: fuel consumption. Papis was pushing so hard that another stop became necessary, and his charge back into the pits was spectacularly committed, arriving down pit lane at close to racing speed in an era before today’s strict limits. Pit-lane speed restrictions were introduced the following year.
Ultimately the comeback wasn’t quite enough. Taylor survived to win with a 64-second advantage, but Papis’ furious pursuit had made its mark.
“Mad Max” had arrived.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 7 |
| Race Starts | 7 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 15th |
| Best Race Finish | 7th |
| Retirements | 5 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 2 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 7 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Footwork | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footwork | 1995 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taki Inoue | 1995 | 7 | 4-3 |
