Formula 1: 5 possible replacements for Mick Schumacher in 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Mick Schumacher replacements: No. 4 – Pietro Fittipaldi
Pietro Fittipaldi continues to serve as the Haas reserve driver, as he has done for the last several Formula 1 seasons, but he has yet to get his chance to compete for the team full-time.
Many believed that he was finally going to get that opportunity in 2022, with the team effectively being forced to cut ties with Nikita Mazepin just before the season began as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine — more specifically, the ties of Mazepin’s father and primary backer, Dmitry, to Russian president Vladimir Putin through his company Uralkali.
Unfortunately for the 26-year-old Brazilian-American, that opportunity didn’t pan out, but it’s hard to imagine Fittipaldi not at least being in consideration for any future vacancies at Haas.
He does, after all, have two races of Formula 1 experience under his belt, having replaced the injured Romain Grosjean in the final two races of the 2020 season following Grosjean’s horrific Bahrain Grand Prix crash.
Fittipaldi was the 17th and final driver running in his Formula 1 debut in the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, but the fact that he completed all 87 laps was no small feat. He was also the final driver running in his second start in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, though teammate Kevin Magnussen only finished one spot higher.
Magnussen, who was replaced after the 2020 season, ultimately replaced Mazepin for 2022, leaving Fittipaldi again without a seat. Will that ever change?