Haas F1 begins to shed some light on the role of second driver for the 2022 Formula 1 season after the death of Nikita Mazepin formalized a few hours ago due to the war triggered by Russia against Ukraine.
Gene Haas, patron of the American team, confirmed what Motorsport.com announced yesterday, namely that during the second and final 2022 Formula 1 pre-season test session Pietro Fittipaldi will ride with the VF-22, alongside Mick Schumacher .
After the practice session in Bahrain, the stars and stripes team should then rely on another driver. This would be called upon to do the entire season alongside Schumacher and, in the shortlist, there is also Antonio Giovinazzi.
Haas needs Fittipaldi’s help in testing in Bahrain. The Brazilian driver knows the team well and the urgency to find a driver for these three days of testing is high. Then, however, the team’s needs will be different and a much more experienced driver will be needed to face the season.
“We are in the process of evaluating several candidates. We will see who will be available and who we are dealing with, but we will have someone by Tuesday (tomorrow),” Gene Haas told The Associated Press. “Fittipaldi will certainly be there in the tests. That’s what it’s for, because he’s the test driver.”
Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Fittipaldi has already raced as a starter in Formula 1. It happened in 2 races in the second part of the 2020 World Championship, when he had to replace the injured Romain Grosjean in the last 2 seasonal outings after the terrible fire from which he managed to escape.
Antonio Giovinazzi, on the other hand, is among the most serious candidates to take the position left vacant by Nikita Mazepin, sacked and dismissed together with the sponsor Urakali for the conflict that started two weeks ago in Ukraine.
Haas concluded his speech by speaking of the Russian driver’s farewell: “There was a lot of criticism about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was becoming overwhelming. We can’t deal with all of this. Our sponsors cannot deal with all of this. “.
“Haas has always been the main sponsor of the team. I don’t know why people said it had become a Russian team. Haas Automation has always been on the car, Haas finished.
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