Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Enzo Fittipaldi

  • Fittipaldi & Van Der Linde to drive for Jaguar

    Jaguar TCS Racing will be welcoming back Sheldon van der Linde for the Rookie Test, alongside new debutant Enzo Fittipaldi.

    The team will be bring back Sheldon van der Linde, who represented the Jaguar squad during last season’s Berlin test as well as last month in Misano during the Rookie Free Practice.

    The South African, who is the younger brother of ABT CUPRA driver Kelvin van der Linde, showed some impressive pace and went fastest in the opening session of the Berlin test last year.

    As well as being the 2022 DTM Champion, van der Linde also won the South Africa Polo Cup Championship and Volkswagen Cup South Africa during his younger career.
    He was also a part of BMW i Andretti Motorsport as a test and reserve driver, during the seventh Formula E season before joining Jaguar as their Test Driver from Season 9.

    Alongside him will be Brazilian racer, Enzo Fittipaldi, who will be getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 for the first time.

    Fittipaldi comes from a long line of motorsport legends, with him also having a very impressive start to his 2024 racing season.
    The 22 year old won the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race in Jeddah with Van Amersfoort Racing, as well as picking up a podium in the Sprint Race that same weekend.

    I’m very excited to get back for my fourth test with the Jaguar TCS Racing team within one year – I feel a bit of a veteran at these rookie tests by now. Formula E is a really exciting championship to be racing in, one I hope to be competing in in the future, so hopefully this is a stepping stone to that opportunity.
    Sheldon on the news.

    This will be my first time driving a Formula E race car and I am really looking forward to the opportunity. I’ve spent some time in the simulator at the team’s headquarters in Kidlington to give myself the best chance to have a successful test in Berlin. The rookie test is a great opportunity for young drivers to try an all-electric motorsport category and I can’t wait to get some experience.
    Fittipaldi on the news.

  • Fittipaldi switches to Van Amersfoort Racing

    Van Amersfoort Racing have announced that race winner Enzo Fittipaldi will be joining the Dutch team for the 2024 Formula 2 season.

    Having already gotten behind the wheel for VAR at the Yas Marina post-season test, the Red Bull Junior driver says he’s hugely looking forward to the next chapter in his career as he prepares to put his experience to good use when adapting to the new F2 cars.

    After making his racing debut in 2016, Fittipaldi went on to secure the 2018 Italian F4 title in his second campaign, in addition to third in the ADAC F4 Championship.
    Stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship the following year, he brought home two wins and 13 podiums on his way to second in the Standings.

    Two campaigns in Formula 3 followed in 2020 and 2021, where the Brazilian driver achieved his first podium finish in Budapest Race 2. This helped Fittipaldi earn a mid-season Formula 2 call up in 2021 with Charouz Racing System.
    Returning for a full campaign the following year, he became one of the standouts of the season, grabbing six podium finishes to claim eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.

    This season, he added to that tally, triumphing in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps for his maiden victory. Securing a further four podium finishes with Rodin Carlin, Fittipaldi went on to finish seventh in the Drivers’ Standings.

    I am very excited to be a part of Van Amersfoort Racing. The team and I had a positive first experience working together during the F2 post-season test in Abu Dhabi last week. Right now, I am looking forward to next season, which will be a new challenge for all. Racing in the new 2024 F2 cars will be exciting, and I am confident that the team and I will have a great season together.

    Fittipaldi on the news.

    During the F2 post-season test, we have experienced that Enzo is a great character to work with. He is a great fit for our team, and his experience in F2 will be beneficial as we head into a new era of Formula 2. We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the upcoming season together.

    VAR Team Principal, Fritz van Amersfoort.

  • Carlin confirm 2023 line-up

    Carlin has confirmed its FIA Formula 2 line-up for the 2023 season, with Enzo Fittipaldi switching to the team, as well as FIA F3 graduate and vice champion, Zane Maloney.

    Both drivers, are newly announced Red Bull Junior Team drivers for the 2023 season and arrive at Carlin after successful 2022 campaigns.

    Fittipaldi already has one full F2 season under his already with Charouz Racing System in ’22, where he took six podium finishes on the way to finish eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.

    He first moved to single seater racing full time in 2017, racing in the Italian F4 Championship and finishing 9th. He then followed that up with a full season in Italian and ADAC F4 in 2018 finishing 1st and 3rd respectively.

    The Brazilian then went on to finish second in Formula Regional European Championship with two wins and 13 podiums to his name in 2019. Moving to FIA F3 in 2020 brought a difficult spell in 2020, with HWA Racelab in 2020 and Charouz Racing System in 2021. Fittipaldi was promoted to Charouz’s F2 team mid mid-way through ’21 but suffered a serious accident in Jeddah at the penultimate round of the year.

    He rebounded from that setback though in style, putting together a strong F2 season with multiple podiums and fighting for top rookie honours.

    I’m extremely excited to be joining Carlin and as well to be part of the Red Bull family for the 2023 season. It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait for the first race weekend in Bahrain.

    Fittipaldi on his announcement.

    Maloney arrives at Carlin after one of his best seasons in racing. He sparked a late title bid with three-consecutive Feature race wins to close the season, ending up only just five points from glory.

    He has worked with the team previously, winning the British F4 Championship in his first year of single seater racing back in 2019.

    In 2020, he moved to Euroformula Open with the British outfit, finishing that year’s season eighth. Moving to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021, winning once and achieving seven podiums on the way to fourth.

    The Bajan driver stepped up to FIA Formula 3 with Trident last year, and after a tough spell at the start of the campaign, transformed his season. He took three wins and four podiums, in the final four races made Maloney an unlikely title contender. His efforts won him FIA Rookie of the Year in 2022.

    Joining Carlin in F2 and to do so as part of the Red Bull Junior Team is a fantastic opportunity after my first year of F3 last season. I’m re-joining a team I know extremely well and have won a championship with before in F4. I’ve seen first-hand how strong the team are in F2 and we had a great test together last year in Abu Dhabi. To embark on this journey in Red Bull colours is a dream come true and I’m incredibly excited to get the season underway in Bahrain next month.

    Maloney on his new seat.

    As a Team boss, Enzo and Zane are a dream pairing with both experience and potential. Enzo was a driver who really caught our attention last year and will be looking to build on the strong results he had in his rookie season. Zane was incredibly impressive in his rookie season of F3 and it’s fantastic to welcome him back to Carlin. He certainly needs to focus on building his experience in the first half of the season but I think by the mid-way point we’ll start to see some real flashes of potential.

    Trevor Carlin, Team Principal.

  • Fittipaldi joins RB academy

    Red Bull have added Brazilian racing driver and currently Formula 2 driver, Enzo Fittipaldi grandson of two-time former World Champion, Emerson Fittipaldi, to their junior academy.

    It has been a strong season for the Brazilian driver who drives for Charouz, having achieved a trio of P2 finishes and the same number of P3’s.

    Fittipaldi stated it ad been his performance back in Hungary where he finished P3 in the sprint and then P2 in the feature race which caught Red Bull’s attention before then having a meeting Marko at the Belgian GP round.

    The 21 year old, currently sits in P6 in the standings, and is one of three drivers tied on 126 points. Logan Sargeant in P3 who is set to join Williams next season should he secure his super licence, is only nine points further up, so a lot can change.

    I think after my result in Budapest, where I got two podiums on the same weekend, we started [talking more seriously]. I’ve always had a bit of contact since last year with Dr Helmut Marko and then at Spa this year we had a meeting — so after Budapest — and we were talking and I’m very happy to announce I’m now part of the Red Bull family. The junior team is an amazing opportunity for me.

    Enzo Fittipaldi on joining the RB Academy.

    It’s difficult to say now. I still have to do a really good job in Abu Dhabi. I’m fighting for third in the championship in Formula 2, I have the race this week, so it’s really important I do a good job there, so the goal is to finish top three this year. Let’s just say Abu Dhabi is very important for me. It’s very important I do a good job there. We’ll see what comes after. For sure, being part of a [Formula 1] team for me has always been a dream, especially Red Bull — the championship-winning team, the best team in Formula 1. It’s a dream for me. So all I can do is thank Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull, Christian Horner — it’s an unbelievable opportunity. Now is the time to work hard and keep pushing.

    Enzo on his future

  • Fittipaldi returns!

    Enzo Fittipaldi will remain with Charouz Racing System for his first full campaign of Formula 2, he will be partnering up alongside Cem Bolukbasi.

    The Brazilian made his F2 debut with Charouz in Monza last year before scoring his first points in the penultimate round at Saudi Arabia. An injury suffered in Jeddah ruled Fittipaldi out of the finale in Abu Dhabi, but he is now set to return to action next month.

    As well as making his F2 debut last year, he was also an F3 podium finisher in Race 2 at Budapest.

    He first made his car racing debut in the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship, Fittipaldi moved into single-seaters the following season before taking his first title in 2018, running a dual campaign where he won the Italian F4 and came third in ADAC F4.

    The 20 year old then went to join the Formula Regional European Championship for 2019, he finished as runner-up to Federik Vesti, the following year he went on to F3 with HWA Racelab before his switch to Charouz the year after.

    “For me, it’s a pleasure and an honour to be able to continue my adventure in Formula 2 with Charouz Racing System,” said Fittipaldi. “Last season they gave me the opportunity to debut in this category after a good first part of the season in Formula 3 and this will allow me and the team to work immediately on the performance as from the first test sessions. It will be a long and demanding championship and the level of competitiveness has never been as high as this year, so it’s a great advantage not to have to spend the first testing days to get familiar with the car. We definitely aim to be a regular presence in the top 10 positions, and we’ll certainly try to seize every opportunity to get some podium finishes and maybe some wins.”

    Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “The team and I are delighted to be able to work again with Enzo for this coming season. Last year, he proved that he deserved the chance to step up from Formula 3 to Formula 2, despite the bad luck that hit him at Jeddah. Now that he’s back in shape I’m sure this will only motivate him further to show what he’s capable of. Starting the season in an environment with which he is already familiar is certainly an advantage for both the team and the driver, and we will try in every way to take advantage of this condition to find the speed and be in the top 10 right away.”

  • Enzo Fittipaldi joins F2

    Charouz Racing System have announced today that Enzo Fittipaldi is set to replace David Beckmann from Monza onwards. This comes as David Beckmann announced on his social media today that due to financial reasons he can’t carry on with F2 this season.

    Beckmann departs with two podiums with Charouz, these were scored in the opening two round of this season. “I’m sorry to leave Charouz Racing System for the end of the FIA Formula 2 season,” said Beckmann. “It’s not an easy choice, but I had to do it because it’s the right thing. The financial situation has dramatically changed compared to the start of this project, but this doesn’t change the great work we did together.

    Enzo was with Charouz Racing in F3 until last weekend at Spa as it got announced he was being replaced, and now we know why he was replaced.

    He has a very good career so far in single seaters, which includes the 2018 Italian Formula 4 Champion, third place in the 2018 ADAC F4 championship and second in the 2019 Formula Regional European campaign.

    “I am extremely happy to be making my debut in the FIA Formula 2 championship,” said Fittipaldi. “I really want to thank Charouz Racing System and all my sponsors for this opportunity. We had a very solid first part of the F3 season together and I am looking forward to the next chapter.”

    Charouz are currently sat ninth in the teams championship with 25 points. The team manager Bob Vavrik added “We’re all very happy to welcome Enzo to the F2 squad. The plan was racing together for the 2022 season, with a winter training and testing program.”

    My Opinion-

    It’s not nice to see someone leave Formula Two because of money and it isn’t the first time its happened this season either, so it is a massive shame to see Beckmann leave but everything costs money nowadays.

    However i’m happy to see that its Fittipaldi, I did have a feeling he would be joining F2 next year, so this gives him this extra added experience for next year if he is to stay.