Surprise Red Bull junior came close to F1 seat

Red Bull had "chosen" Enzo Fittipaldi to race to RB in the 2024 F1 season, claims Brazilian racing driver Pedro Boesel.

The 40-year-old, has consulted and invested in the careers of Fittipaldi and his brother, Pietro, who competed in two grand prix for Haas in replacement of the injured Romain Grosjean at the end of the 2020 F1 season.

The Porsche Carrera Cup driver has said Fittipaldi, who currently competes for Van Amersfoort Racing in F2, was selected by the joint Milton Keynes-Faenza outfit around last year's British Grand Prix, a decision it ultimately rowed back on, if true.

The weekend at Silverstone was Nyck de Vries' last with AlphaTauri before being fired, after which Daniel Ricciardo took over the seat.

Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson, was a member of the Red Bull young driver programme at the time and Boesel has detailed a private test and discussions with the team.

"Last year, Enzo had a meeting with the top brass at Red Bull. He was called to this meeting and, there, they said that they had chosen him to drive for AlphaTauri this year, for RB. He tested the Formula 1 [car]," he told Motorsport.com Brazil.

"It happened there after the Silverstone race [in July 2023], it was a private test, right there in Europe. From there, he won the race in Spa [in Belgium], he had a double podium: he won the race on Saturday, and was third on Sunday."

'Nobody understands it, but it is what it is'

In addition to the drive not coming to fruition, Fittipaldi ended up being released from the reigning F1 constructors' champion's junior ranks at the end of the year. Although, he is still supported by the team, according to Boesel.

The 23-year-old ended the F2 season in seventh and was let go alongside Dennis Hauger, Zane Maloney and Jak Crawford, a decision Boesel states "nobody understands".

Only Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar remained. The former went home to Japan to compete in Super Formula, whilst the latter is currently RB reserve driver second in the F2 drivers' standings, four-and-a-half points behind F1-bound Gabriel Bortoleto.

"For some reason, Red Bull decided to release, of the six [F2] drivers in the programme, Enzo, who was the second best in F2, [Ayumu] Iwasa was the best [and stayed]," Boesel added.

"They released the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth out of the academy and kept the last one, which is [Isack] Hadjar. Nobody understands it, but it is what it is."

Fittipaldi, meanwhile, is due to test for IndyCar outfit Arrow McLaren, as he looks to progress his career in the American single-seater series.