Speaking in an , Haas team principal Guenther Steiner confirmed the American outfit’s reserve driver Fittipaldi is first in li🔯ne for Mazepin’s seat in th🔯e event he cannot race. 

Mazepin’s ꦡposition at Haas has been cast into doubt after the team said it would review the long-term futꦏure of title sponsor Uralkali, which is co-owned by Mazepin’s father, Dmitry, next week. 

Haas ran its car i꧂n a plain white live♍ry during the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Friday in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“If Nikita couldn’t drive for one or another reason, the first ca🐭ll would go to Pietro,” Steiner said. 

“Obviously, he is with us for a few years, and then we wou🍸ld see what we🥂 do next.”

Fittipaldi, ꧑the grandson of two-time world champion Emerson, first joined Haas at the end of 2018 and made his F1 𓆏debut at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when he stood in for the injured Romain Grosjean. 

The 25-year-old Brazilian alಌso contested that year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi 🦋as Grosjean continued his rehabilitation.

“Pietro is always around with us f𝔉or a reason,” Steiner added. “The last years, we needed a res꧟erve driver, having COVID around, so he is always around.

“He knows the team, he knows the car. To jump in for one day to the oꦇther, there is🍸 nobody better than Pietro around at the moment.”