Pietro Fittipaldi has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s FIA European Formula 3 Championship event at Pau after breaking a bone in his left hand in the crash during second qualifying that saw him fail to qualify for the final two races.
The Brazilian, racing this season for the Fortec Motorsports team after stepping up from winning the Protyre Formula Renault 2.0 Championship last year, was scheduled to start eleventh for today’s opening race, but will miss the rest of the weekend.
“I wanted to drive but the doctors [at the track] called the hospital,” revealed Fittipaldi to Autosport.
“As I went into the last chicane I braked a little bit too deep, locked up the tyres and my right-front grabbed the wall.”
Fittipaldi’s withdrawal is good news for Double R Racing’s Nicolas Pohler, who after failing to qualify for race one on Friday was given a reprieve.
With Fittipaldi not racing in Pau, it means Fortec Motorsports’ four-car team is down to just two cars for the rest of the weekend after Zhi Cong Li withdrew before the weekend began to be with his ill father in his homeland.
