Grandson of F1 legend got snubbed by Red Bull after promise of future test
Emerson Fittipaldi's grandson Enzo Fittipaldi was reportedly snubbed out of a chance to get into F1 based on false promises by Red Bull.
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Helmut Marko, image via IMAGO
Next year, the F1 grid will witness a major revamp as multiple rookies are set to make the step up. However, the case of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi‘s grandson Enzo Fittipaldi remains the polar opposite.
Enzo’s advisor, Pedro Boesel, has revealed how Red Bull drove away other teams by making a false promise of future a test, which cost him a potential F1 debut. The Fittipaldi family has its roots deep down in racing.
With generations of racing history aiding the Fittipaldi brothers, Pietro Fittipaldi made his F1 debut in 2020. Subsequently, younger brother Enzo also wanted to follow in his steps and was part of the F2 grid last year.
Enzo’s first half of the season was filled with promising results, which earned him a call from the Red Bull hierarchy, according to Boesel. The senior figures at Red Bull promised that Enzo would be given the 2024 seat on the sister team, which made him stay loyal to the Austrian giant. However, subpar form in the latter half of the season saw Enzo’s agreement with Red Bull not come into action.
Last year, Enzo had a meeting with the top of Red Bull. He was called to this meeting and there they said they had chosen him to drive for AlphaTauri at Red Bull this year and test the F1 car. However, poor results in the latter part of the season led to a surprising turn. Boesel stated that Fittipaldi, along with other Red Bull juniors, was dropped from the academy, with only Isack Hadjar retained
Pedro Boesel said
Fittipaldi was very close to a Red Bull seat in Formula One:
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) November 17, 2024
— Enzo Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, was reportedly close to securing a permanent seat in Formula 1 last year, according to his advisor Pedro Boesel.
— Fittipaldi, who competed… pic.twitter.com/cqXNhqgZ4S
Helmut Marko gives a glimpse into current Red Bull juniors’ future prospects
On the other hand, Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar has been making strides in F2 this year. This has made him a revered character within the paddock and the Austrian team does not want to lose him if any interest emerges from other teams.
Subsequently, Helmut Marko gave an insight into the roadmap he has for the 20-year-old. He hinted that Hadjar could follow in Liam Lawson‘s footsteps in the future.
Isack Hadjar took his fourth win in the highest Formula class after F1 at Spa. He clearly has the potential for Formula 1. We will see how everything develops, but he will definitely play a role. It could be that, like Lawson, he will spend a year as a test and simulator driver.
Helmut Marko said (via GPBlog)
This makes the competition for a seat at VCARB quite volatile for the 2026 season. Both Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are slated to drive for the team next year, and there is no clarity on how they would be judged or if either will be promoted to Red Bull in the future.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)