Massimiliano Papis

Massimiliano 'Max' Papis (October 3, 1969 - Present): Italian racing driver born in Como, Italy. Papis graduated from Milan University with a political science degree while racing in Italian Formula 3, scoring three victories and finishing sixth in 1992. After placing fifth in F3000 in 1994 while serving as Lotus F1 test driver, he joined Footwork for seven races in 1995, replacing Gianni Morbidelli. His best F1 finish was seventh in Italy, scoring no championship points across his seven starts from Britain to Europe 1995.

Unable to establish himself in F1, Papis moved to America where he became a race winner in Champ Cars and 2004 Grand-Am Champion with Scott Pruett and Chip Ganassi Racing. Married to Emerson Fittipaldi's daughter Tatiana, he founded Max Papis Innovations (MPI), a steering wheel manufacturing company, in 2009. Since 2016, he has served as a permanent steward for the IndyCar Series, competing occasionally in endurance and stock car races as late as 2018.