WRT Team Audi Sport has announced that Pietro Fittipaldi will race for them in the DTM Series this year.
This means the grid has now been completed, with Fittipaldi lining up alongside Jonathan Aberdein for the Belgian squad.
WRT, most known for its success in GT and TCR will make its debut in the DTM this year after the opening up for customer teams.
Fittipaldi, is Emerson Fittipaldi‘s grandson and therefore comes from a family which very much has racing in their blood but has worked to make a name for himself.
He was a NASCAR Wheelen Late Model champion back in 2011, and won the Formula Renault V8 3.5 title in 2017 along with the Formula Renault 2.0 UK and MRF Challenge titles.
Last year, he raced in IndyCar, FIA WEC and Japan Super Formula.
However, he spent much of 2018 on the sidelines after suffering a massive crash at the Spa-Francorchamps round of the WEC breaking both legs in the process.
Fittipaldi managed to return to track for six outings in IndyCar, and just the one in Super Formula.
Despite this, Fittipaldi was appointed the official test driver for the Haas F1 Team and partook in the pre-season test for them at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Fittipaldi joined the team this week for the DTM pre-season test at the Lausitzring where he drove the Audi RS5 DTM for the first time.
“I want to thank Team WRT and Audi Sport for their support and trust, which are allowing me to join an exciting series such as the DTM,” said Fittipaldi. “It’s probably one of the most competitive series in the world, and I can’t think of a more exciting challenge. The test at the Lausitzring went very well, we did a good job and tested everything we wanted to test. I am very pleased to work with such a great group of people.
“It was my first time in Lausitz and my first time with the Audi RS 5 DTM, which is different from anything I have driven so far. The sessions were very useful to familiarise with the car and start exploring the limits. We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us and much to learn, but I am definitely enthusiastic about the package and the project.”
Head of Audi Motorsport, Dieter Gass, said: “I am very glad we could give WRT Team Audi Sport a hand in signing Pietro Fittipaldi as their second driver for the 2019 DTM season opener at Hockenheim. We always strive for making DTM more international and have famous names involved. Having the ‘Fittipaldi’ name in the DTM is great news for the series.
“Despite being just 22 years old, Pietro has already proven his talent in various motorsport categories and has recently become an official test driver for the Haas F1 Team. I’m looking forward to see what he can achieve with the Audi RS 5 DTM. Vincent Vosse has formed a kind of ‘junior team’, which perfectly fits to our idea of a DTM customer team.”
The opening round of the year gets underway on 3-5 May at Hockenheim.
