Experiences everywhere
A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2017, Robert Shwartzman has now linked his name to the Prancing Horse. As the current reserve driver for Ferrari in Formula 1, the 24-year-old Russo-Israeli has also had other experiences with Ferrari, including free practices in the Netherlands and Abu Dhabi, where he also participated in post-season tests. Among these, he took part in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup this year with the 296 GT3, not excluding the rookie test in Bahrain with the 499P in the WEC. In addition, Robert Shwartzman has conducted tests in open-wheel categories, such as IndyCar with Chip Ganassi and Formula E in Berlin.
Hopes for 2024
With commitments in all directions for the Formula 3 champion of 2019, who still cannot count on participation in a specific championship for the coming year, Robert Shwartzman remains motivated and optimistic about opportunities in 2024: “Anything could happen,” he declared to Racer. “I just know that I’ll stay with Ferrari as the third driver in Formula 1 and do FP1. However, I hope to do more tests in F1. The Endurance program is not yet defined, but I hope to race with the Ferrari Hypercar.”
WEC aspirations
Currently, Ferrari has not completed its lineup for the next championship, although recent rumors suggest Shwartzman as a possible teammate to Robert Kubica in the third Ferrari of the AF Corse team: “It would be exceptional,” he commented. “I’ve always dreamed of driving in Formula 1, and at the same time, I also dreamed of racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As children, we all mainly watched F1, but everyone knew what the 24 Hours of Le Mans was. I hope to be able to participate and win, which would be something very, very special.”
Satisfaction from testing
Regardless of the roles in 2024, Robert Shwartzman is confident that he has done a good job in 2023 in all the categories he has been involved in with tests or trial sessions: “I have definitely gained a lot because I think I’ve tried all the most well-known series,” he concluded. “So I’m happy that in most of them, I went very fast, and I quickly learned to drive the car. I’m happy with myself because I learn quickly. Most of the cars were really nice to drive, so I’m confident that in any category I race in, I’ll be competitive, strong, and bring results. It went very well in IndyCar with Ganassi, and the team was really good with Ganassi.” – he continued.
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“Then I did the rookie test in Berlin with DS Penske, and I did very well there; I was the fastest for most of the day. Also with the Hypercar, we set the fastest lap in Bahrain. Overall, I had a great feeling with all these cars. Even in F1, I was happy not to have made mistakes in general. I knew the team is not only looking for performance; they want consistency to get information to learn something. I’m happy that we got everything we wanted.” – the Ferrari junior concluded.
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