John N
Pietro Fittipaldi will remain at the Haas Formula 1 team as its official test and reserve driver, having worked with the squad since 2019.
The young Brazilian-American, who was called up for two grand Prix at the end of 2020 as a replacement for the injured Romain Grosjean, will twin his reserve duties with Haas alongside his efforts for the Jota team in WEC’s LMP2 class.
As part of his Haas responsibilities, Fittipaldi will likely get some testing mileage, most likely in pre-season running in Bahrain and during Friday free practice sessions when teams have to run rookie drivers.
Fittipaldi said about renewing his deal: “I’m very happy to continue with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, a team I consider family.
“It will be my fifth season in F1 as the official reserve and test driver for Haas, and I’m super excited to be going into the 2023 F1 season coming off the back of a very competitive season.
“I’m excited to see the new car and developments, and I hope we can make an even bigger step forward with the VF-23.”
Team principal Gunther Steiner explained that it made sense for Haas to stick with Fittipaldi, who had great knowledge of how the team operated.
“I’ve said before that continuity and consistency is key to success in Formula 1 and Pietro remaining with the team for 2023 makes me believe that we have strong foundations,” said Steiner.
“In Formula 1, you need to be able to react within the smallest of margins to any scenario, and Pietro is a proven performer and is ready to step in at any time to get behind the wheel and drive, as he did twice in 2020.
“Last season, he took part in pre-season testing, two free-practice sessions, and post-season testing in the VF-22, and surprisingly, unlike many drivers on the grid, he’s said this car suits his aggressive style, which is music to my ears when track time is so limited.
“He’s an asset to our team, so I look forward to seeing his continuation with us this season.”
Fittipaldi is the grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
