Haas has confirmed Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of former world champion and Indy 500 winner Emerson, and Louis Deletraz will stay with the Formula One team in test and reserve driver roles in 2020.
Both drivers have been affiliated with Haas in recent seasons and conducted simulator work during the 2019 season. Fittipaldi drove for Haas in preseason and in Spain and Bahrain last season, while both he and Deletraz drove the 2018 car at that year’s end-of-season Abu Dhabi test in Abu Dhabi.
The pair will continue to support Haas’ regular F1 drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.
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As well as supporting the team at races as soon as the season resumes following the Covid-19 pandemic, they will both represent Haas in the next round of F1’s Virtual Grand Prix esports series on April 5. The series uses the F1 2019 game and will race on all weekends which would have hosted a grand prix this season.
Haas boss Guenther Steiner said: “Naturally, we had intended to make this announcement over the course of the Australian Grand Prix to start the season, but events both there and globally took priority with the on-going Covid-19 outbreak.
“Pietro and Louis have both proven themselves to us over the past 12 months and we’re delighted to confirm them both as official test and reserve drivers for Haas F1 Team. Their work in the simulator was undoubtedly of value as we faced our challenges last season and we’re excited to continue to present them with further opportunities to expand their relationship with the team in 2020 when we can return to work.”
Fittipaldi’s grandfather Emerson won two F1 world championships (1974 and 1974), two Indy 500’s (1989 and 1993) and the CART championship in 1989. The Brazilian driver raced for Dayle Coyne’s team during the 2018 IndyCar season.
Deletraz, 22, has competed in the last three seasons of Formula 2 but is yet to win a race in F1’s official feeder series. Deletraz will contest a fourth season in 2020 should the season resume after the pandemic.