Pietro Fittipaldi

Pietro Fittipaldi da Cruz (25 June 1996 - Present): Brazilian-American racing driver from Miami, Florida, grandson of two-time Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who competed in two Formula One Grands Prix for Haas in 2020 as a substitute for injured Romain Grosjean, becoming the first grandson of a Formula One driver to compete in Formula One, and who continues serving as Haas F1 Team's reserve driver while competing in IMSA SportsCar Championship and European Le Mans Series. Born in Miami on 25 June 1996 to Brazilian parents, Pietro is the grandson of Emerson Fittipaldi, who won Formula One World Championships in 1972 and 1974, and the older brother of racing driver Enzo Fittipaldi.

He comes from extensive racing royalty—his great-uncle Wilson Fittipaldi raced in Formula One from 1972-1975, and his uncle Max Papis competed in seven Formula One Grands Prix in 1995 before enjoying success in Champ Car. This heritage placed enormous expectations on young Pietro. Graduating from karting to stock car racing in 2011, Pietro spent two seasons in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series before progressing to junior formulae in 2013. He won his first title at the 2014 Protyre Formula Renault Championship in Britain, then won the 2015-16 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship in India.

His breakthrough came in 2017 when he won the World Series Formula V8 3.5 Championship with Lotus (formerly Charouz Racing), the final season of this respected feeder series. This success positioned him for IndyCar opportunities. In 2018, Fittipaldi competed in IndyCar for Dale Coyne Racing, but his season was dramatically interrupted in May when he suffered a horrific crash during the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the World Endurance Championship.

Both of his legs were broken in multiple places, requiring extensive surgery and rehabilitation. Remarkably, he returned to IndyCar competition at the end of July 2018, making five more starts with a best finish of ninth at Portland, demonstrating extraordinary determination and toughness. In November 2018, Haas F1 Team announced Pietro Fittipaldi as their official test driver for 2019, beginning a relationship that continues today. His grandfather's legacy undoubtedly helped secure the role, but Pietro needed to prove his own abilities.

He tested the Haas car at Barcelona pre-season testing in February 2019. Fittipaldi's Formula One race opportunity came unexpectedly in the most dramatic circumstances. At the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix on 29 November 2020, Romain Grosjean suffered a horrific first-lap crash when his Haas penetrated the barrier and exploded into flames. Grosjean miraculously escaped with burns to his hands and ankles, but was hospitalized and unable to compete in the following race.

On 30 November 2020, Haas announced Fittipaldi would replace Grosjean for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix on 6 December 2020. Making his Formula One debut, Fittipaldi qualified last in 20th position but completed the race, finishing seventeenth and last of the remaining runners, five laps behind winner Sergio Pérez. While statistically unsuccessful, simply completing a Formula One race made him the first grandson of a Formula One driver to become a Formula One driver himself. Grosjean remained unable to compete for the season finale, so Fittipaldi again substituted at the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 13 December 2020, qualifying 20th and finishing nineteenth, again last of the finishers.

In February 2021, Haas confirmed Fittipaldi would remain as test and reserve driver for 2021, a role he has retained through 2025. In 2022, after Nikita Mazepin's contract was terminated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Fittipaldi drove the Haas VF-22 during the first day of pre-season testing at Bahrain, substituting for the departed Russian. Alongside his Haas reserve role, Fittipaldi competes in IMSA SportsCar Championship (winning races) and European Le Mans Series, maintaining race sharpness while remaining available for Formula One substitute duties. He also competed in IndyCar between 2018-2024, achieving a best finish of fifth place.

Known for being Emerson Fittipaldi's grandson and the first grandson of an F1 driver to compete in F1, for substituting for Romain Grosjean after his fiery Bahrain crash, for breaking both legs at Spa 2018 yet returning to racing two months later, and for serving as Haas reserve driver since 2019, Pietro Fittipaldi carries enormous family legacy while building his own career, demonstrating that motorsport royalty provides opportunities but also creates expectations that can be both blessing and burden.