In our latest driver interview, Haas Test and Reserve Driver, Pietro Fittipaldi spoke about his inspirations, climbing the motorsport ladder and “priceless” life at Haas.
Having grown up in a family steeped in motorsporting legacy with his grandfather – Emerson having twice been a F1 champion in 1972 and 74 respectively, Pietro was always destined to become a racing driver as he spoke candidly about his inspiration and climbing the motorsport ladder.
Pietro is currently part of Haas’ F1 setup as Test and Reserve Driver whilst also racing for Jota in 2023 FIA World Endurance LMP2 class, and has spoken in this interview about the challenges of adapting between his F1 duties for Haas and racing for Jota in World Endurance.
With motorsport running throughout the Fittipaldi family and particularly your grandfather – Emerson who is a two-time F1 champion, who inspired you to become a racing driver?
Pietro: When I was born in 1996, it was the year that my grandfather stopped racing so I grew up watching both of my uncles race – Christian Fittipaldi and Max Papis and I would go to the Le Mans 24 Hours which they would race for many years and I was a kid watching that growing up.
“Staying awake the whole day watching the race in the motorhome I would say gave me the inspiration to start racing and when I was four years-old, my dad gave me my first go-kart and it basically went on from there.
“For sure my family was my biggest inspiration to start racing.”
You enjoyed strong consistency throughout much of the early stages of your single-seater career with four titles including 2014 British Formula Renault and 2015 MRF Asian F3. What was it like to make the step up from karting with consistency and winning two titles?
Pietro: “When I first went from karting to NASCAR and it was short sharp oval racing and I won the NASCAR Whelan Championship in 2011 and it gave me the opportunity to then go to Europe with sponsorship and race in single-seater racing.
“That is where I won the British Formula Renault Championship in 2014 then MRF Asian F3 Championship in 2015 then the World Series 3.5 Championship in 2017 and I think the consistency in winning comes naturally.
“I think if you are with the right team and are preparing yourself well and you’re doing a good job and you have the speed then you are going to be fighting for championship titles.”
2018 saw you conduct a part-time IndyCar campaign and feature in one round of Super Formula. What was it like racing in both series in a year where your racing was limited due a crash at Spa-Francorchamps in World Endurance Championship?
Pietro: “After winning the World Series Championship in 2017, I had many opportunities for 2018 which included a part-time programme in IndyCar and I was supposed to race the season in Super Formula and a couple of races in WEC LMP1 car.
“Obviously due to the crash that I had in May [2018] at Spa and breaking both of my legs, I couldn’t travel any more to Japan which was a shame because I was so looking forward to the Super Formula Championship.
“I did the first race at Suzuka and prior to that, there was testing that we did in March and the seat was between me and British driver – Oliver Rowland, and I did a good job in the test and the team signed me to seat but unfortunately I couldn’t do the full season.”
“But I was able to recover fast and two months after my accident, my leg was still broken but I was able to race in IndyCar again, using a carbon-fibre brace on my left leg and taking painkillers to get in the car and race, and I was able to finish in the top ten in a few races there at the end of 2018 which then gave me my opportunity to do my first test with Haas F1.”
2019 saw you race in DTM but you replaced Romain Grosjean at Haas in the final two F1 races of 2020 under tough circumstances. How much did it mean to race in two F1 Grands Prix and what did you learn from that experience that you used as Test and Reserve Driver?
Pietro: “Obviously it wasn’t under the best circumstances but it was an opportunity that I am going to remember for the rest of my life and it’s every driver’s dream to race in F1.
“So when you get the chance to do it, I mean yeah it brings back good memories from back when you were in karting and watching some of the legends race in F1 and I was on the grid with some of them like Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton – who I remember standing on the grid at Abu Dhabi during the national anthem when drivers have to line up and stand on the start-finish line and I was looking around and seeing all these guys that I would watch race in F1 when I was a kid and I was racing with them and in Formula 1 so it was somewhat a priceless moment.
“And for sure, that moment helps me in my role as Test and Reserve Driver for Haas as I not only know what it takes to drive the car but preparing for a race weekend as a F1 race driver.”
2021 saw you partially replace Grosjean at IndyCar oval races. How beneficial has that experience been for you in terms of adapting his Dale Coyne car to suit you at oval races – having previously had to adapt to his Haas car in F1 the previous season?
Pietro: “I think it was different because I was racing the oval rounds and Romain was racing the road courses and because he wasn’t doing the ovals, Dale Coyne called me and asked me to race in the ovals.
“And it’s not a matter of adapting the car because the car in the road courses are really different to an oval car and the aerodynamics are completely different but I was just trying to maximise those oval races and I won the Rookie of the Year award at the Indy 500.
“We were looking for a really good finish at the Indy 500 and we unfortunately went a bit off-strategy and tried to do a really aggressive strategy, which didn’t work and hindered our end result but I was still really happy with the performance there.”
Since 2019, you have been part of Haas as Test and Reserve Driver so what has it been like to be part of the F1 environment in a test role which has occasionally seen you participate in various tests and FP1 sessions alongside that two-race stint?
Pietro: “Being part of the Haas F1 Team, I have learned so much from them and they are definitely part of my racing family – it’s the longest that I have been with any racing team.
“I think it’s almost six years now and I got many opportunities to test the car not only on test days but Pirelli test days, FP1s and doing those two races, and I am grateful to Gene Haas and Guenther [Steiner] for all of the opportunities they have given me.
“And for sure, everything that you learn in F1 you can apply in other racing championships.
“There is so much work that goes into getting the car as fast as possible and there are so many tools that the drivers can use as well, and that opens your mindset and your horizon in other work with the racing team and developing a race car so for sure it’s made me a much better racing driver overall.”
2021 also saw you return to sportscar racing with European Le Mans on top of IndyCar running and are currently back racing in World Endurance. As a F1 test driver, how easy has you found it to adapt between single-seater and sportscar racing in recent seasons?
Pietro: “For me adapting to different cars is always something that I do very easily and naturally.
“I can jump in from one type of racing car to another and within a few laps, I would be on pace so that is something that I don’t know for other drivers to be the same but for me, I have been able to get used to newer or different cars very quickly.
“Yeah I have often got an opporunity sometimes last minute and have to prepare myself at very short notice so that has always made me very agile in having to adapt and maximise my opportunities in such little time and show my performance so I think that helps me develop my skill in adapting to different cars and different environments fast. ”
Finally, what are your expectations for the future?
Pietro: “My expectations for the future are to win as many races and championships in the motorsport world as I possibly can. I mean that the goal.
“Obviously I still have the dream of racing full time in Formula 1 as well as racing full time in IndyCar and winning races and titles as well as in the World Endurance Championship, fighting for wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours so this year, we qualified on pole at Le Mans in Qualifying and second in the hypercar and close to getting a win this year.
“So to achieve one of those racing accomplishments is something that I want to do and kep pursuing for many years.”