Pietro Fittipaldi: “Anything can happen at Indy 500”

What does this return to IndyCar mean to you?

I always wanted to come back to it, because it's a fantastic series, very competitive, where you have a lot of fun. When Dale Coyne Racing called me in January to say they wanted me to race on ovals to complete the program Romain Grosjean, the proposition was all the more tempting as Romain is a friend with whom I have worked for the last three years at Haas F1 Team, where I am a test pilot. And then, I love ovals.

How did your taste for this type of layout come about?

In fact, I lived a good part of my life in the United States, and after my years in Go Kart, I started in a competition Nascar (the current Nascar Weekly Series. Editor's note), on Late Models, where we only race on short ovals, and I won this championship. It was in 2011, at Hickory Motor Speedway (North Carolina. Editor’s note). And in 2018, during my first visit to IndyCar at Dale Coyne Racing, where I obtained rather good results.

What memories do you have of your first season in IndyCar, where you were involved in a partial program (in addition to Zachary DeMelo)?

I participated in six rounds, including three on ovals, where I was able to count on Sébastien's valuable advice. Bourdais, because I had never driven a car on this type of route. Moreover, this year, during Media Day (March 4, 2021, presentation event of the season organized for the media. Editor's note), I had lunch with him and Romain (Grosjean. Editor's note). For example, I really liked Gateway (oval in Illinois, 2 km. Editor's note), where I will race again this season (August 22, Editor's note). In free practice, I even set the 3rd time, but in the race I unfortunately started in last position, my position in the championship, because it had rained and qualifying had been canceled. Despite everything, I still finished in 11th place. In Pocono, the experience was shorter, as I was involved in the terrible Robert Wickens crash. And then, I started my season in Phoenix with a 10th place in qualifying, when I was the first car to go out on track. In short, I love ovals, but each circuit has its characteristics.

Find the entire interview in AUTOhebdo No. 2305 available in digital version.