The sole champion from the Ferrari Driver Academy this year will not be part of its roster in the upcoming motorsport season.
James Wharton, who clinched the UAE Formula 4 championship in February, is among the two drivers exiting the junior driver scheme of the team. Another departure is Formula 2 driver Arthur Leclerc, the younger sibling of Ferrari’s Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc. Arthur Leclerc, who joined the program in 2020, concluded his first Formula 2 season this year in 15th place.
Contrastingly, Oliver Bearman, who ascended from Formula 3 alongside Arthur Leclerc this year, experienced a more triumphant season, securing four victories and finishing sixth in the standings. The team hailed him as the standout FDA talent of 2023. Oliver Bearman also had his debut in an F1 car with Ferrari and participated in test and practice sessions for Haas.
Dino Beganovic will continue as an FDA member, achieving sixth place in his inaugural Formula 3 season. Ferrari anticipates him to contend for the championship next year.
Rounding up the six-driver FDA squad for 2024 are Formula Regional racers Rafael Camara and Maya Weug, along with Formula 4 duo Tuukka Taponen and Aurelia Nobels. Camara, placing fifth in the European Formula Regional series, is identified as another third driver expected to vie for the title.
Taponen secured fifth place in the Italian Formula 4 series, one spot behind Wharton. Nobels faced a disrupted season due to an arm injury sustained during an incident in the pit lane at the Misano round, causing her to miss the subsequent event at Spa-Francorchamps.
In 2024, there will be a leadership change at the helm of the FDA following Marco Matassa’s departure. Jock Clear, who served as Charles Leclerc’s performance engineer this year, will assume control of Ferrari’s young driver program.
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