Fittipaldi to stand-in for Grosjean at Sakhir GP

Pietro Fittipaldi will make his Formula 1 debut for Haas at this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix in place of the injured Romain Grosjean.

Grosjean sustained minor burns to the back of both hands in a crash on the opening lap in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, resulting in him being taken to hospital for treatment.

The Frenchman is set to be released on Tuesday, but Haas has taken the decision to rule him out of competing to continue his recovery.

The American-owned outfit has chosen Fittipaldi, who has been the team’s reserve driver since 2019, to stand-in for Grosjean, making him the first Brazilian to race in F1 since Felipe Massa in 2017.

“After it was decided that the best thing for Romain (Grosjean) was to skip at least one race, the choice to put Pietro (Fittipaldi) in the car was pretty easy,” said Haas team boss Gunther Steiner.

“Pietro will drive the VF-20 and he’s familiar with us having been around the team for the past two seasons as a test and reserve driver. 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.”

Fittipaldi, who is the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson, has previously competed in Indycar and SuperFormula, and more recently drove for Audi in the DTM series last year.

The 2017 World Series Formula V8 3.5 champion said he was “extremely grateful” for the opportunity, but acknowledged it is under circumstances which are “not ideal”.

“I’ve been with the team a lot this season, both trackside and working on simulator sessions, so I’m familiar with the team’s operating procedures on a grand prix weekend,” Fittipaldi said.

“It’s going to be exciting to make my first career start in Formula 1 – I’ll be giving it my all and I look forward to starting in free practice on Friday in Bahrain.”