Fittipaldi hoping for full-time IndyCar move

Dale Coyne Racing’s Pietro Fittipaldi says he would like to make IndyCar his full-time home in 2019. It’s a welcome change of interest from earlier in the year, when he expressed an interest in returning to the European open-wheel scene.

“It’s a big priority,” the 22-year-old told RACER. “My main thing is I want to be racing full-time next season. I always do my best when I have a full season and can focus on the championship. That’s my main goal – to be in IndyCar. These next five races are really important.”

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Back for his first race after suffering a nasty sports car crash in May, the Brazilian-American will complete the season in the No. 19 DCR Honda he’s shared with fellow rookie Zachary Claman De Melo. He plans to get his future plans sorted between upcoming events.

“You start looking before the season’s over obviously, but my focus now is on my recovery,” he said. “So I’m taking more of an approach to get through each race, but you can do that and still talk about finding something full-time.”

Fittipaldi completed one race for DCR at Phoenix where he showed potential, and was due to compete in his first Indy 500 until the crash at Spa-Francorchamps broke bones in both legs two weeks prior to the start of practice at the Speedway.

A test last week with DCR at Mid-Ohio was the final hurdle for the grandson of IndyCar and Formula 1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi, and with clearance to compete received from the Verizon IndyCar Series, he will also race at Pocono, Gateway, Portland, and Sonoma.