The outing on the 1.7-mile short course at Sebring International Raceway marked 27-year-old Brazilian-American’s return to the cockpit of an Indy car for the first time since the 2021 Indianapolis 500.
While Fittpaldi pounded the pavement for over 115 laps in the team’s #30 Honda, which he will drive full-time for the 2024 season in the IndyCar Series, it didn’t take long for him to adjust and re-learn the various in-car tools.
With no team-mates present, the opportunity to compare any on-track data wasn’t possible, but he was able to get comfortable with the car quickly. However, a key area that stood out was the physical demands of the car.
“One thing for sure is physically,” Fittipaldi told Motorsport.com. “In endurance racing, I had to lose a lot of weight because the lighter you are, the lighter the car is. In IndyCar, you can be basically as heavy as you want to be. So, then I know that in IndyCar I'm going to for sure gain weight and try to gain muscle mass because the car is much more physical to drive.
“I did a lot of laps, but I know if you go to tracks with higher speed corners, more downforce and stuff, the wheel is going to be heavier. So, I need to be physically heavier to be able to take that steering weight easier. I think that's something off the bat.
“In terms of performance and stuff, when we're with our teammates and there's more cars on track and everybody's running, you'll be able to find out easier, 'Oh, this is what I need to do'."
Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time Formula champion, double Indy 500 winner and 1989 IndyCar champion Emerson Fittipaldi, has nine previous IndyCar starts, with a best finish of ninth (Portland International Raceway, 2018).
Looking further into the offseason, the plan is to do more on-track testing with RLL, which will be testing the new hybrid unit at some point before the end of the year. First, though, Fittipaldi will return to Haas F1, where he has spent the last five seasons as a test and reserve driver that included two starts, be on-hand for the final two rounds of the Formula 1 season, beginning with this weekend’s race in Las Vegas.
“I do know RLL have a possibility of the first hybrid test they're going to do sometime in December, but I think the team will decide when it is,” Fittipaldi said. “I have two more races with Haas in F1; Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
“We don't have the testing schedule yet with RLL defined, but I know that we're going to probably do another test towards the end of the year.”
