Pietro Fittipaldi will continue in his role as test and reserve driver at Haas having raced for the team in the final two rounds of last year.
The 24-year-old substituted for the injured Romain Grosjean in the Sakhir and Abu Dhabi grands prix, reaching the finish in both appearances. This season will be Fittipaldi’s third year with Haas.Team principal Guenther Steiner said he was pleased with the job Fittipaldi had done for the team at the end of 2020.
“The role of test and reserve driver means you might be called up to drive at very short notice and that turned out to be the case for Pietro in Bahrain at the end of 2020,” said Steiner. “Despite the demands of driving with little time to prepare, he undoubtedly did a solid job for us – not least as he hadn’t even tested the VF-20.
“He didn’t get caught up in the moment, he proved patient and, ultimately, he did what he was asked to do – he brought the car home in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. That first-hand race experience will only serve to add value in terms of what he brings to the team in his role this season.”
Fittipaldi will be on standby to take over if either of Haas’s new drivers for the 2021 F1 season, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, are unable to race this year.
“I’ve been working with the engineers now for a couple of years and I really feel like it’s a big family at Haas,” said Fittipaldi. “It’s a great pleasure for me to be able to continue working with the team.
“With the two races I ran last year, it just helped me gain even more experience, and I’m sure that’s going to help me be able to contribute more to the team as a result.”
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Holmzini
19th February 2021, 17:14
Looks like a good kid you will benefit from his role in the team while observing and hopefully gaining advantage for his own goals by directly working with Schumi jr. and Mr. Mazi. All bringing the lore of the young driver back to Formula One. I think the fresh start for Haas begins a good new start for an established team that needs a shot in the arm to awaken some new performance.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
19th February 2021, 22:25
Maybe Hass might benefit more from him this year, given that this young driver in 3 years older than the two race drivers!
He has DTM and IndyCar experience vs the rave drivers standard F3 -> F2 progression.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
19th February 2021, 22:26
Never know, he might get another race this year if Mazepin picks up license points as fast as last year