Ferrari is not on vacation yet; the Racing Department will close on Friday for the summer break, but in the meantime, activities in the Scuderia continue. They are still active on the track with a test day at Fiorano with the SF21. Two reserve drivers in Formula 1 have been called for this midsummer event: Antonio Giovinazzi started testing in the morning, and in the afternoon, it will be Robert Shwartzman’s turn.
Both drivers are returning to training with a red single-seater to regain the feel of a real car since they have been primarily engaged in simulator work and other racing programs.
Antonio Giovinazzi gave his career a boost with his victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the 499P shared with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, while Robert is currently competing in the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup driving the AF Corse’s 296 GT3 alongside teammates Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera.
The SF-21 is being monitored on the track by the young technicians of the test team, led by Matteo Togninalli, the chief on-track engineer during the GPs. This opportunity is not only valuable for shaking off rust for the two drivers but also for developing the second line of the Prancing Horse, who aspire to become regular drivers in the future.
For Robert, the opportunity is also significant. Despite driving a car that is two years old and lacks downforce, the 23-year-old Russian-Israeli driver will be the young driver called upon to drive the SF-23 in the two sessions that the FIA reserves for rookies, repeating the experience of last year.
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It is not ruled out that Robert Shwartzman will be called into action already at the resumption of the championship at the end of the month in Zandvoort, during the first free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix. Nothing is official yet, but these seem to be the short-term plans.
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