F1 News
Pietro Fittipaldi will make Formula 1 debut in Bahrain - who is he?
Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi will replace Romain Grosjean for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix. After a major crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Grosjean has suffered burns on the back of his hands. As a result, Fittipaldi will slot into the Haas car but who is he?
Family history
Fittipaldi was born on June 25, 1996, in Miami. He was born into an already well established racing family. Pietro will be the fourth Fittipaldi in Formula 1. The best-known driver was Emerson Fittipaldi. The two-time world champion raced in Formula 1 from 1970 to 1980 and won the championship in 1972 and 1974. His older brother Wilson also made it to F1 but was significantly less successful. In 35 races he managed to score three points.
In 1992 the third Fittipaldi appears in Formula 1; Wilson's son Christian. Until 1994 he completely 40 Grands Prix and scored 12 points. Pietro and his brother Enzo Fittipaldi, Emerson's grandsons, also took up motorsport. 19-year-old Enzo drove his first season in Formula 3 this year and his big brother Pietro (24) will make his debut in Formula 1 this weekend.
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Racing career
Pietro Fittipaldi started his career in 2011 in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. He won the Championship as a rookie. In 2013 he moved to Europe and started driving in Formula Renault. In his first year, he finished eighth in the championship, but in 2014 he took the title. Fittipaldi also won the championships in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 in 2016 and the Formula V8 3.5 World Series in 2017. In recent years Fittipaldi has competed in the IndyCar Series, the DTM and the Asian Formula 3 championship.
Testing for Haas
In 2014 he started to attract attention and was invited, with three other drivers, to participate in the Ferrari Driver Academy. This resulted in a first Formula 1 test on November 27, 2018. For Haas, he makes his first kilometres in a Formula 1 car at the Yas Marina Circuit. The test is a success and Haas announced him as an official test and reserve driver.
Fittipaldi has now been involved with the team for two years and team boss Guenther Steiner has every confidence in the young Brazilian. "It’s the right thing to do and it’s obviously a good opportunity for him. He’s been patient and was always prepared for this opportunity – and now it has come. That’s why we want him in the car and I’m sure he’ll do a good job. It’s very demanding being called in at the last minute, but as I said, I think it’s the right thing to do for Haas F1 Team," Steiner said.
This article was written and originally published by Tim on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.
