Coming from a racing family can be complicated. Haas Formula 1’s reserve driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, learned that the hard way. The 28-year-old has been driving the No. 30 car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2024 and enjoyed mixed fortunes in his first full-time IndyCar season. His uncle, Max Papis, is currently working as one of the stewards in the racing series, but despite the family connection, Fittipaldi isn’t getting any favors on the racetrack.

Reflecting on some of the decisions not going his way, the 28-year-old jokingly expressed his disappointment towards his uncle. With Christmas on the horizon, could the family dinner be awkward because of the events on the racetrack?

Formula 1 driver Pietro Fittipaldi felt he was treated unfairly

Pietro Fittipaldi recently completed his first IndyCar season as a full-time driver. The Florida native failed to break into the top 10 in the 18 races he competed in, with his highest finish being 12th at The Thermal Club. Before the 2024 season, the driver had competed in nine IndyCar races, which eventually earned him a move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Given his background, the expectations were at an all-time high, and Fittipaldi could take plenty of positives from the experience he had gained.

However, Pietro Fittipaldi jokingly mentioned that he wasn’t getting favors from his uncle, Massimiliano Papis. The Haas Formula 1 driver said, “Max Papis, who’s married to my mom’s sister was a racing driver too and is actually the IndyCar, one of the IndyCar stewards. So I have him in my pocket.” The racer went on to say, “He penalized me twice actually. One of them I strongly disagreed with… No, I was so p-ssed honestly but anyways.” When asked if they spoke afterward, he said, “Yeah, I called him after. I went to his office to speak to him. I was really p-ssed.”

Max Papis is a racecar driver himself, having competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One, and Champ Car in the past. The Italian was a member of the ‘brat pack’, which comprised a group of CART drivers who were close friends off the track, including Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and the late Greg Moore. As for Pietro Fittipaldi, the racer is the grandson of two-time Formula 1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who won the silverware in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren.

Despite having a legacy to live up to and expectations weighing on his shoulders, Pietro Fittipaldi isn’t fazed. The driver is determined to forge his path in the world of motorsports and grab any opportunities that come his way. Sharing his expectations, the Florida native said, “The pressure comes from within because I’m doing what I love and I wanna do it well. I wanna win races so. The pressure I think comes from me wanting to do well.”

Fittipaldi brothers are looking to secure IndyCar future for 2025

Pietro Fittipaldi’s IndyCar future is looking uncertain. After a topsy-turvy debut season as a full-time racer, it’s unclear if the 28-year-old will return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing next year. However, that isn’t stopping him from exploring opportunities in the IndyCar paddock, along with his younger brother Enzo. The 23-year-old has competed in the FIA Formula 2 development series for three years and is hoping to follow in his grandfather Emerson Fittipaldi’s footsteps by making a name for himself in IndyCar.

To gain more experience, Enzo Fittipaldi has been participating in tests with Arrow McLaren, but the team has no vacancies as things stand. Sharing his thoughts about his younger brother’s future, speaking to RACER, Pietro Fittipaldi said, “My goal, for sure, is to continue in IndyCar. My brother’s goal, as well, is to race in IndyCar next year. So through (Arrow McLaren’s) Tony Kanaan and Zak Brown, they gave a great opportunity for my brother to do the test at Thermal in two weeks, which is very exciting for Enzo. And the goal is to have both me and him racing in IndyCar together. That would be the ultimate dream.”

As things stand, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is in dire need of funds and is looking for sponsorship opportunities and well-funded drivers for the No. 30 Honda. Pietro Fittipaldi touched on the sponsor situation, saying, “I’ve definitely been working on it with Rahal, which have their situation with (losing primary sponsor) Hy-Vee and then as well (trying to hold onto) 5 Hour Energy, which they’re still working on, means we’re waiting on that to see what’s going to happen for next year.”

With IndyCar seats hard to come by, there has been plenty of interest in the opportunity and Devlin DeFrancesco has been heavily linked for the team’s third and final seat. As a result, Pietro Fittipaldi said, “For sure we’re looking elsewhere, even for my brother as well.” Despite the assumption that they are being funded by Emerson Fittipaldi, both the brothers are raising sponsorships on their own to secure their future in IndyCar.