Pietro Fittipaldi was in discussions with Haas about a role in its F1 programme before his leg-breaking crash last weekend.
The 21-year-old, who is the grandson of two-times F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, suffered fractures to both legs when his SMP Racing BR1 LMP1 hit the barriers at Raidillon during qualifying for the Spa Six Hours.
Team principal Guenther Steiner told media including RaceFans at the Circuit de Catalunya the team had spoken to him about a role before the crash but that nothing had been signed.
“We just started talking about it to see what he is doing. He contacted us, I know his grandfather – everyone knows his grandfather pretty well! – and we said can we do something together. We said ‘let’s see’ and then what happened happened.”
The crash has put discussions on hold but Steiner indicated a deal could happen once Fittipaldi has recovered from his injuries.
“First of all it’s most important that he gets well again. I think he’s well on the way to get better so that’s the most important thing.”
Haas already has two development drivers, Santino Feurricci and Arjun Maini, who are racing in Formula Two this year. Fittipaldi, the reigning Formula V8 3.5 champion, was conducting a partial IndyCar campaign alongside his WEC duties before his crash.