Ex-Formula One racer Wilson Fittipaldi suffers cardiac arrest on his 80th B-day

Brasilia: Former Brazilian Formula One driver and the Fittipaldi Formula One team owner Wilson Fittipaldi Jr. suffered cardiac arrest during his 80th birthday dinner party on Christmas Day, Brazilian sports news outlet Grande Premio reported on Wednesday.

Wilson, the brother of Brazilian two-time Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, celebrated his 80th birthday on Christmas Day. During the dinner, he choked on a piece of meat and was deprived of oxygen for a long time, followed by cardiac arrest, the report said.

The ex-driver was resuscitated at a Sao Paolo hospital and later required tracheal intubation. He is now in a stable condition, but doctors are unable to remove him from sedation, the report said.

Wilson Fittipaldi Jr. participated in 38 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix from 1972-1973 and in 1975 and scored a total of three championship points. (UNI)