Photo credit: Penske Entertainment/Joe Skibinski
A familiar name is returning to Indycar for 2024 as Rahal Letterman Lanigan announced on Monday that Pietro Fittipaldi will drive the #30 car in Indycar next season. Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time Formula 1 champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, Pietro has competed sporadically in Indycar. Across nine starts between 2018 and 2021, including the 2021 Indianapolis 500, Fittipaldi has a best finish of 9th at Portland in 2018.
Additionally, he ran two races for Haas F1 Team in place of Romain Grosjean in 2020 after his accident at Bahrain. Fittipaldi’s primary drives in the last two seasons have been in sports cars, including an LMP2 win at the Six Hours of Monza last season with Jota Racing and three IMSA races alongside Indycar driver Devlin DeFrancesco at Daytona, Sebring, and Watkins Glen.
In the press release Fittipaldi said “with the experience I’ve gained over the last few years in F1 and other racing series, I am looking forward to the challenge of racing in Indycar, one of the most competitive and versatile racing series in the world. I want to thank Mr. Rahal, Mr. Lanigan, and Mr. Letterman for the opportunity and their trust and confidence in me. I can’t wait to get started.”
RLL had started 2023 with Jack Harvey in the #30, but after his dismissal the car was driven by Conor Daly at Gateway and Juri Vips at Portland and Laguna Seca. In deciding on bypassing the previously auditioned drivers in favor of Fittipaldi, co-owner Bobby Rahal said “from our discussions I have been impressed with the maturity and experience that he will now bring to our program. I look forward to seeing what he can do over a full season of INDYCAR competition in 2024.”
Co-owner Mike Lanigan added that “the Fittipaldi family name has always been associated with winning and competitiveness in our sport. The legacy lives on with Pietro and we welcome the challenges in keeping the tradition alive.”
