SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Christian Fittipaldi will replace Nelson Piquet Jr. in the final four races of the A1 Grand Prix series.
Fittipaldi will make his debut for the Brazilian team next weekend in the Indonesian Grand Prix, the driver's spokesman, Alexandre Kacelnik, said Wednesday.
Piquet Jr., son of the former Formula One champion, had to be replaced because of his commitment with the GP2 series.
The Brazilian team -- third in the 25-team standings with 63 points -- is owned by Brazilian national soccer team regular Ronaldo. Its technical director is two-time Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Christian's uncle.
"It will be a great pleasure to have my uncle as the boss," the 35-year-old Fittipaldi said.
The younger Fittipaldi finished 23rd in the Brazilian Stock Car Championship last year with 32 points, 134 behind champion Giuliano Losacco. He hasn't raced in open-wheel racing since 2002, his last season in the U.S.-based Champ Car series.
"I have driven in open-wheel races my entire life," Fittipaldi said. "I don't think I'll have problems familiarizing myself with the car."
The former Formula One and CART driver attempted to make a move to U.S. stock car racing's top series in 2003 with Petty Enterprises, but couldn't come up with enough sponsorship to make it work. He finished 17th in last month's 24-hour sports car endurance race in Daytona.
"Fittipaldi is a well-known name in North America," Kacelnik said. "It was important for the team to have him in the races in Mexico and the United States."
The A1 will race in Monterrey, Mexico, on Feb. 26, and at the Laguna Seca circuit in California on April 2.
Other drivers considered for the Brazilian team were Indy Racing League's Tony Kanaan and Champ Car's Cristiano Da Matta.
France leads the A1 series -- billed as the World Cup of auto racing -- with 119 points, 27 ahead of second-place Switzerland.
"It will be a great honor and responsibility to represent Brazil and replace a talented driver like Nelsinho," Fittipaldi said.
