Richard Divila

The Fittipaldi FD04 was Divila's last design for Fittipaldi. It is seen here during the 1976 season with two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel.

Ricardo Ramsey "Richard" Divila (30 May 1945 – 25 April 2020) was a Brazilian motorsports designer. He worked in Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Three, Formula 3000, Super Formula, IndyCar, touring car racing, sports car racing, rallying, rally raid, ice racing, truck racing, among other disciplines. When the brothers established the Fittipaldi Automotive team in Formula One he became the technical director and designed the team's first three cars. These three cars had the name "FD" based on Fittipaldi's "F" and Divila's "D" like the Brabham's "BT" (Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac). He remained with the team until it closed down in 1982.

Divila founded his own research, development and consulting company in the 1980s. His early customers included March, Jordan, and several IndyCar teams.

Between 1988 and 1989, he designed a Formula One car for Lamberto Leoni, a former F1 driver who intended to enter his FIRST GP team in the championship. Although the team had contracts with Judd and Pirelli as engine and tyre suppliers, and with Gabriele Tarquini as a driver, the team did not race that year. It was Divila's last chance to see an F1 car designed by him racing, especially as his designs were altered to become the L190 run by the short-lived Life Racing Engines.

Despite the F1RST Racing fiasco Divila held various roles in different F1 teams between 1989 and 2001, including Ligier, Fondmetal, Minardi, and Prost.

He died in Magny-Cours (France) on April 25, 2020, at the age of 74, after a stroke. Divila was still actively working as an engineer and columnist until his stroke caused him to fall into a short coma. He estimated that he worked at over 2000 races in various roles over the course of his life.