“We just have to see what’s available,” says Gene Haas after confirming Pietro Fittipaldi as Nikita Mazepin’s replacement for Testing


“We just have to see what’s available,” says Gene Haas after confirming Pietro Fittipaldi as Nikita Mazepin’s replacement for Testing

Pietro Fittipaldi

Last week Haas F1 decided to terminate Nikita Mazepin’s contract ahead of the 2022 Formula One season. The American team decided to sever ties with title sponsor Uralkali following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

“Haas F1 Team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin,” the team said in a statement. Haas are since then looking for a suitable replacement for the Russian driver.

The team have decided to call Reserve Driver Pietro Fittipaldi as a suitable interim driver ahead of the Official Pre-season test in Bahrain on March 10-12. The team have confirmed the 25 year old Brazilian but are in the process of os seeing who is “available to race” with them and someone “with a bit more actual experience” for the 2022 season.

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Gene Haas says “We’re in the process of looking at several candidates.”

Pietro Fittipaldi
Pietro Fittipaldi

Pietro Fittipaldi has been associated with Haas for the last 3 years as a Reserve Driver. He even raced for Haas alongside Kevin Magnussen in the last two Grand Prix in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. This was following Romain Grosjean’s horrific accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Team CEO Gene Haas said in an interview regarding the situation “We’re in the process of looking at several candidates. We’ll see who is available and what we have to deal with, but we’ll have somebody by Wednesday. Pietro will definitely be in it, that’s what he’s for, he’s the test driver. I think we’d obviously like to get someone with a bit more actual experience [longer-term]. We just have to see what’s available.”

Haas is also considering reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri & former Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi as suitable replacements. The team are expected to finalise their 2022 driver line-up before the first race of the season in Bahrain on March 18.

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