BARCELONA, Spain — Haas was in talks with Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi about a 2018 test before the crash which left him with two broken legs.
Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time world champion and Indy 500 winner Emerson, suffered a broken right ankle and a fractured left leg during the season-opening World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps. He had also been due to make his Indy 500 debut later this month but now looks set to be sidelined until July at the earliest.
It has emerged Fittipaldi was also pushing for an opportunity to secure his first opportunity in Formula One, with the grid’s newest team.
« There was nothing set, » Haas boss Guenther Steiner told the press in Spain. « We were talking about it, but no date was set. We were just starting to talk about it and then the accident happened. I spoke with Pietro, I WhatsApped with him, and spoke with his grandfather. In the moment we let him get well and then we’ll see what we are doing. »
Steiner was keen to stress that the discussions had only just started and that they will continue once Fittipaldi has recovered from his recent injuries.
« There was no detail. It was just talking about what we could do, and nothing else.
« We just started talking about it, to see what he’s doing. He contacted us. I know his grandfather. They said can we do something together, we said let’s see, and then what happened, happened.
« We didn’t stop talking, but we stopped talking about what could be done. First of all it’s most important that he gets well again. I think he’s well underway to get better, so that’s the most important thing for me. »
http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/23460229/pietro-fittipaldi-had-talks-haas-leg-break-crash
