Haas F1 Team confirmed this Tuesday, October 11, its plans to comply with the regulations, which oblige each team to mount a rookie driver in one of its cars for at least two sessions in free practice 1 in 2022.
For those two practice sessions, the American team has finally called on the Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi, being one of the teams that later complies with said rule.
The driver, grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, will drive the Haas VF-22 both in the F1 Mexican GP, at the Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome, and in the Abu Dhabi GP, the event that will put an end to the season 2022 of Formula 1 at the Yas Marina circuit.
This announcement marks the return of Pietro Fittipaldi to an official Formula 1 session since the end of 2020, when he competed in the Sakhir and Abu Dhabi races as a substitute for Romain Grosjean, who was recovering from the strong and shocking accident he suffered in the first lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
On that occasion, the Brazilian piloted the car throughout the weekend, doing free practice, qualifying and also the race. In the first, he started from 20th place to finish in 17th, while in the second he started and finished in 19th.
Despite the fact that the new F1 rule on free practice is dedicated to young drivers, Pietro Fittipaldi is qualified to participate in these sessions because he is just within the required experience limit, which is three or fewer grand prix races in the highest category.
“Hey guys, I am very excited to announce that I will be doing the first free practice sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. I want to thank Haas for this great opportunity. I drove the car earlier this year in Bahrain, but to have another opportunity with the VF -22 is amazing.
“It’s a very fast car and I’m looking forward to driving it again,” the South American said in a video the team posted on social media.
With this, Brazil will be doubly represented at the Abu Dhabi GP, since Felipe Drugovich also plans to make his debut at the wheel of the Aston Martin in the first free practice sessions of the last round of the 2022 season.
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