IndyCar Gateway
Fittipaldi to run Gateway IndyCar race, not Le Mans
Pietro Fittipaldi will enter all four oval races in the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series, and will thus be forced to skip the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
David Malsher-Lopez
Edited: Apr 29, 2021, 8:50 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The original plan was for him to run Le Mans with G-Drive as well as run the ovals for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR-Honda.
However, when Le Mans was pushed back from its traditional mid-June date to August 21-22, Fittipaldi was forced to choose between sharing G-Drive’s LMP2 Aurus (ORECA) Gibson with Rui Andrade and John Falb, and competing at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
The grandson of IndyCar legend Emerson Fittipaldi has elected for the latter, a venue at which he shone in his injury-interrupted 2018 season with Coyne. With the grid set by points due to rain ending qualifying, and Fittipaldi having missed several races due to his WEC shunt at Spa, he was forced to start at the back of the field at the 1.25-mile oval, yet came through to finish 11th.
This weekend in the Texas Motor Speedway double-header, Fittipaldi will make his first IndyCar starts in more than two years when he takes over the #51 Coyne-RWR car driven in the opening two rounds by Romain Grosjean. Next month he will be entered for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Fittipaldi’s presence at Gateway increases the possibility of Coyne running three cars there – for full-timer Ed Jones in the DCR with Vasser Sullivan car, and then two cars in partnership with Rick Ware Racing for Fittipaldi and Grosjean.
While ex-Formula 1 driver Grosjean has said no to superspeedways this year, he’s admitted on record and in private that he’s intrigued by oval racing, and Coyne confirmed to Motorsport.com that the 35-year-old Frenchman last weekend again discussed the possibility of racing at Gateway.
Coyne has already stated that the team can and will run three cars at Gateway should Grosjean elect to race there.
DCR has three entries in the Indy 500, for Jones, Fittipaldi and Cody Ware, who completed his Rookie Orientation Program earlier this month. However, Ware is still seeking more sponsorship to seal the ride.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Daly confirmed for oval IndyCar races with Carlin
Next article Ruoff becomes associate sponsor for Andretti Autosport
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
David Malsher-Lopez
Alex Zanardi: The man whose name is a synonym for “hero”
IndyCar
IndyCar
Alex Zanardi: The man whose name is a synonym for “hero”
Remembering Michele Alboreto: F1 ace, Le Mans winner and a good man
Formula 1
Formula 1
Remembering Michele Alboreto: F1 ace, Le Mans winner and a good man
IMSA Laguna Seca: Ganassi Cadillac holds off Porsche for victory
IMSA
IMSA
Laguna Seca
IMSA Laguna Seca: Ganassi Cadillac holds off Porsche for victory
Latest news
Carson Hocevar posts 18-minute apology video: "I'm the bad guy"
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
4 h
Carson Hocevar posts 18-minute apology video: "I'm the bad guy"
Timmy Hill secures full-time NASCAR Truck ride for 2027
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
6 h
Timmy Hill secures full-time NASCAR Truck ride for 2027
Kimi Antonelli admits he questioned himself throughout his rookie campaign
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
Kimi Antonelli admits he questioned himself throughout his rookie campaign
F1 Brazil GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
F1 Brazil GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Feature
Discover prime content
How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
How Spanish engineering and Alex Palou brought IndyCar to Barcelona
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe