Fittipaldi could add Super Formula programme to IndyCar/WEC

Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson, joined Team LeMans for his first taste of the series' Dallara SF14 car in pre-season testing at Suzuka.

He drove the car on Tuesday, the second day of the test, and finished ahead of team regular Kazuya Oshima.

Earlier this year, Fittipaldi was confirmed for a seven-race IndyCar programme with Dale Coyne Racing – and he has since also been called up for the Spa and Fuji WEC events by the Dragonspeed LMP1 outfit.

"I can say that Super Formula is a possibility for 2018," Fittipaldi told Motorsport.com. "I think, if it happens, it'd be great for my programme this year.

"I'd be racing in three of the top series in the world, with IndyCar, Super Formula and WEC - I'd be really privileged to be racing that.

"And I'm a racer, you know, if I can race every weekend, I'm doing what I love, so that would be amazing."

Fittipaldi, who has trialled IndyCar, LMP1, Formula 2 and Formula E machinery since winning last year's 3.5 title, stated he was very impressed by the "rocket"-like SF14.

Speaking about the test, he said: "I really enjoyed it. The team did a great job, it was great working with them.

"I was really surprised and impressed with the acceleration of the car – the car is very light, it accelerates super-quick out of the corners, it's like a rocket, it's unbelievable.

"It was a great experience – the cornering speeds are also really really high. I was speaking to a couple friends of mine who raced Super Formula before I went to the test, like Andre Lotterer, JP [Joao Paulo] de Oliveira, they explained to me ' you're going to be really impressed with the performance of the car and how fast it is through the corners, especially sector one in Suzuka'.

"That's exactly how I felt, it's extremely impressive. I'm pretty sore now after the test, because the car is so fast in the corners, you're pulling some pretty high Gs."

The Toyota-powered Team LeMans has already confirmed Oshima for one of its seats, but is now the only Super Formula outfit yet to finalise its driver line-up for 2018.

Formula E frontrunner Felix Rosenqvist drove for the team last year, finishing third in the championship.

In the recent Suzuka test, Fittipaldi shared the car with Williams F1 junior Oliver Rowland, who is understood to likewise be a candidate for the seat.

Rowland has one clash between his Manor LMP1 programme and the Super Formula schedule – while the Japanese series' May races overlap with the GP of Indy and the Indy 500, both of which Fittipaldi is confirmed for.

Super Formula's next test will take place at Fuji at the end of March, and it is believed that Team LeMans will likely have its line-up firmed up by then.