Haas taps Fittipaldi for Pirelli tyre test at Silverstone

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The Haas F1 Team has confirmed that its official test and reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi will be on duty for them at the Pirelli tyre test taking place at Silverstone next month, the week after the 2023 British GP.

The team will be taking part in the test on July 11-12 to try out the prototype tyres being prepared for next season.

Full-time drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will take the morning and afternoon sessions respectively on the first day of testing, with Fittipaldi taking over for both sessions on the Wednesday.

Read also: Magnussen ‘in a good spot’ ahead of 150th Grand Prix

"I’m very happy to be back behind the wheel," said Fittipaldi, the 26-year-old grandson of two-time world champion and double Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi.

“It’s going to be exciting for me because I’ve never driven a Formula 1 car around Silverstone and I think that’s one of the most classic tracks in the sport.

"Just as I’m excited, I’m also focused on doing a great job for the team, trying to learn as much as possible for them in terms of car development," he added.

"The Pirelli tyre test is going to be an important test and I’m very much looking forward to doing a great job for Haas. I want to thank the team for the opportunity to drive the VF-23.”

Fittipaldi has been working with the team for five seasons. This year he's keeping race-fit with drives in the IMSA Sports Car Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. He started on the LMP2 front row last week at Le Mans.

“There aren’t many reserve drivers who have the experience Pietro has, so his feedback on the VF-23 will prove invaluable to us,” said Haas team boss Guenther Steiner in a press release distributed by the team.

“Pietro has always had an impressive work ethic and his passion to learn and support the team in its objectives has been key in his continuation with us.

"His full calendar of two other race programs only benefits MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and providing him time in this year’s challenger means he’s once again ready for any eventuality.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.