Haas F1 Team Confirms Pietro Fittipaldi as Test Driver for 2019

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Pietro Fittipaldi has been confirmed as the official test driver for Haas F1 Team for the 2019 Formula One season. He will also get behind the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time later this month when he takes part in the Pirelli tire test on November 27 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The 22-year-old Miami-born Brazilian is a grandson of the two-time Formula One champion / two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Emerson Fittipaldi.

“I’m pleased to welcome Pietro Fittipaldi to Haas F1 Team and we look forward to working with him,” said Guenther Steiner, team principal, Haas F1 Team.

“He brings a championship-winning pedigree from his junior open-wheel career, and more recently he has acquitted himself well running in the IndyCar series. We’re happy to provide Pietro his first test in a Formula One car off the back of those experiences. His subsequent role testing, and the feedback he’ll provide in support of our 2019 campaign, will no doubt further contribute to Haas F1 Team’s growth and development in Formula One.”

The journey to join a Formula One team has been eventful for Fittipaldi.

The 2018 season saw him compete in six races with Dale Coyne Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series, scoring a best finish of ninth at Portland International Raceway in September. His campaign was interrupted by an accident that saw him break both legs while competing in the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May.

In 2017, he drove to six wins, 10 podiums and a series-record 10 pole positions en route to winning the Formula V8 3.5 Championship.

His unique versatility extends from the karting and junior formula ranks to even stock cars, which includes being crowned champion and taking top rookie honors in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series in 2011.

“I’m extremely appreciative to have secured a role with Haas F1 Team as their test driver,” Fittipaldi said.

“I’d like to thank Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for the opportunity to join the team. They’ve done an incredible job in Formula One, and to ask me to play a role in their continued success is naturally very exciting. I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the VF-18 in Abu Dhabi.

“I’ll carry that experience forward into 2019, and hopefully into a race seat in Formula One in the future.”