Indy NXT runner-up Fittipaldi signs for Lola Formula E Team for Gen4 era
Lola has become the latest team to round out their line-up for the Gen4 era, with Enzo Fittipaldi moving over from Indy NXT to drive for the squad in their upcoming season. He joins Robert Shwartzman, announced a day prior, after a period of intense speculation over Lola's driver line-up finally came to an end.
The 25-year-old will become the fourth rookie on the grid for Season 13, joining the likes of Théo Pourchaire, Zak O'Sullivan and teammate Shwartzman in making his competitive Formula E debut for the Gen4 era.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Lola for my debut season in Formula E. This is a big step forward in my racing career, and I’m incredibly grateful to the team for putting their trust in me and giving me this opportunity," Fittipaldi described, speaking on the announcement.
“Lola is a name with so much history and heritage in motorsport, and it’s a privilege to be part of this new chapter alongside Yamaha. I’m also thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time, with projects like the T70S bringing Lola’s iconic past into the future.
“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel at our upcoming test in Madrid, start working closely with the team, and build towards a strong first season together,” he concluded.
Fittipaldi's latest venture saw him stateside to race in Indy NXT for HMD Motorsport. The Brazilian driver had moved to the championship after four campaigns in F2, among the more experienced racers on a young grid.
Podiums at Arlington's street course and the Barber Motorsports Park set him up for a strong title challenge with Cape Motorsport's Nikita Johnson and fellow HMD rookie Tymek Kucharczyk. Fittipaldi then went on to win at the road course in Indianapolis in May, backing up his result with a podium. Another victory in Detroit further drove his championship challenge.
A brace of victories from pole in Mid-Ohio marked his best weekend in the championship, but a series of lower-scoring results meant Fittipaldi lost out on the championship to Johnson. He finished the season 29 points off the lead.
While Fittipaldi hadn't secured an opportunity on the IndyCar grid, he undertook an opportunity to test Lola's Gen4 machinery at the Ales-Cevennes circuit in France, earlier in October. He is said to have impressed the Lola crew, emerging ahead of fellow stateside contenders such as Sting Ray Robb and Nolan Siegel.
Lola team principal Mark Preston was certainly impressed to have Fittipaldi on board for the Gen4 era. "Enzo is a great fit for Lola Formula E, bringing experience from a range of single-seater series that will prove beneficial as he transitions to all-electric racing," he expressed.
"He has the talent, work ethic and technical understanding to be a great asset as we enter this new era for the sport and during testing he has shown a strong ability to work effectively alongside the engineers to help us extract as much performance as possible from the T004 .”
Fittipaldi also raced in the European Le Mans Series after exiting F2, scoring a podium for CLX Motorsport at Paul Ricard. He scored a best finish of seventh for Rodin Carlin in 2023, before rounding out his F2 career with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2024.
He certainly brings plenty of experience to a Lola set-up that has been involved in a major effort to move their operations in-house for the Gen4 era, after splitting from ABT Sportsline at the end of Season 12.
Fittipaldi and Shwartzman will take on the challenge of navigating the first season of the championship's Gen4 era, and spearhead Lola's charge in the upcoming year of racing.
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