Pietro Fittipaldi will continue as the Haas test and reserve driver in Formula 1 for a fourth season in 2022, the team has confirmed.

The 25-year-old made two starts for Haas at the end of last season in place of the injured Romain Grosjean and proved a safe pair of hands standing in at the last minute, showing his value after also testing a number of times for the team. Team principal Guenther Steiner says it was a simple choice to keep Fittipaldi, especially given his experience of the team compared to the two rookie drivers in the race seats.

“This was a very straightforward decision for us to keep Pietro on as our official test and reserve driver,” Steiner said. “Pietro knows the inner workings of our team very well, having been with us for so long now.

“He proved to us last year that he was ready to step up and drive when required and obviously his presence in the team this year has brought continuity as well. We’re delighted to continue our relationship and we look forward to having him onboard again in 2022.”

Fittipaldi says he’s excited by the new regulations that will be introduced next season, giving him a different concept of car to work on.

“I’m naturally very happy and excited again by the opportunity to continue my association with Uralkali Haas F1 Team,” Fittipaldi said. “I’ve been with the team for a few seasons now and they very much feel like family.

“I’ve learned a lot in my time and I hope I can keep contributing with the introduction of the new generation of Formula 1 car in 2022. It’s going to be exciting to see what’s coming with the new package and I’m obviously as keen as the rest of the team to see what the VF-22 will accomplish on track.”