Romain Grosjean has been ruled out of the second Formula One race in Bahrain and will be replaced by Pietro Fittipaldi, a grandson of former F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, the Haas team said Monday.
Grosjean was hospitalised with burns on the back of both hands after his car collided with a barrier in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday and burst into flames.
Haas said it anticipated Grosjean would be discharged Tuesday. His injuries mean he can't compete in the Sakhir Grand Prix on Sunday, the second race in Bahrain, which will use a shorter outer loop at the same venue.
"After it was decided that the best thing for Romain was to skip at least one race, the choice to put Pietro in the car was pretty easy," Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said.
"Pietro will drive the VF-20 and he's familiar with us, having been around the team for the past two seasons as a test and reserve driver. It's the right thing to do and it's obviously a good opportunity for him."
