Pietro Fittipaldi took an unlikely path to this year’s Indy 500, where he qualified as the fastest rookie for the 105th race of the great American race in which he will bear the family name with honor.
Fittipaldi is the grandson of Formula 1 legend Emerson. The 24-year-old Brazilian is no stranger to the US after winning the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for Lee Faulk Racing.
Since then, his career has taken a winding path, appearing in numerous series over the past decade, winning minor titles in the process.
He was scheduled to make his Indy debut in 2018 before suffering serious leg injuries in an accident during a sports car event of the World Endurance Championship in Spa-Francorchamps, just 11 days before Indy 500 practice this year.
Indycar.com reports that doctors have told Fittipaldi it would be over a year before they returned to racing, with the possibility the injuries could spell the end of their careers. However, he resisted the diagnosis and returned in less than three months while his legs were still healing.
Later that season, the NTT Indycar Series finished top ninth in Portland thanks to a specially created cast and aggressive rehab program.
Fittipaldi has also hit the F1 radar in recent years, after having worked at the Ferrari Driver Academy, he got a spare role with the Haas F1 Team. It entered service for the final two races of the 2020 F1 season, where it held up well as a replacement for the injured Romain Grosjean, despite little racing in the car and in F1.
As he prepares for his Indy 500 debut, he recognizes the weight of such an iconic name. Fittipaldi says he only feels the pressure he is putting on himself, adding, “I love racing, I love competition, I love winning races – that’s why I do it. So for me it’s just a privilege to have the name, to carry on the family legacy here in the 500 and to take part in the biggest race in the world. “
Fittipaldi drove with RWR for Dale Coyne Racing and qualified 13th with an average speed of 230.846 mph over four laps. He was the fastest of the two rookies to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 that year. Australian sensation Scott McLaughlin started 17th in Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet No. 3.
Fittipaldi and his rookie McLaughlin were honored at the American Dairy Association Indiana’s 47th Annual Fastest Rookie of the Year Lunch, with Fittipaldi earning the title of Fastest Rookie of 2021.
Fittipaldi reported: “It was amazing, great to be there and to receive the award. I have my name on the trophy that has so much history with all these drivers there.”
While luck favors him at this point in his career, Fittipaldi puts his hat on overcoming the difficulties that made him stronger: “I had to go through many things after the accident, overcome them and be able to overcome them mentally. also.
“This time I definitely feel better prepared. Not just as a driver, but also as a person. After what happened in 2018, I’m even more grateful to race, ”he added.
While Pietro’s grandfather is arguably better known for his F1 exploits, Emerson forged a formidable career in the United States, winning the Indy 500 and CART champions twice in 1989.
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