French engineer working as assistant team principal and race director for Scuderia Ferrari, Laurent Mekies, has outlined plans for the Maranello team to fulfil Formula 1’s young driver running this season, as Robert Shwartzman will get the opportunity to take part in some free practice sessions during the second half of the 2022 Formula One season.
Given the new rules and regulation for the 2022 Formula 1 season, all main drivers have to turn their car over to a rookie at some point, with the rules stating that a rookie has to take part in two Grands Prix or fewer – for a free practice session.
Teams and drivers are allowed to hand over the car at any race to make sure young drivers receive adequate mileage in contemporary Formula 1 cars.
Laurent Mekies has now confirmed Scuderia Ferrari’s plans to stick test driver Shwartzman in the F1-75 car in place of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during two of the upcoming events in the second part of the year.
Robert Shwartzman to drive Ferrari in Formula 1 free practice sessions
The Russo-Israeli racing driver who competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for 2020 and 2021 has no full-time racing programme for the current campaign, after deciding not to return to the FIA Formula 2 championship, in which he finished runner-up to Oscar Piastri last year.
Robert Shwartzman is currently working as Scuderia Ferrari’s test and reserve driver, and will appear for the team under an Israeli licence and flag, rather than Russian, given the ban imposed on Russian drivers after the invasion of Ukraine. The Ferrari junior was born in Israel but grew up in Russia, representing the latter country as he climbed the motorsport ladder and would have been forbidden had he not changed codes.
“For us, it’s Robert Shwartzman that will do our two FP1s,” – the Ferrari race director confirmed – “We haven’t exactly decided on which events it’s going to be, [but] you are right in saying that you would not pick races like Singapore or races where the race drivers need more running. I don’t think we have an issue in doing it during one of the weekends where we have Pirelli testing.” – Laurent Mekies added.
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AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost announced that current Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson will get the chance to driver the AT03 challenger in the first free practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. Of the top three teams – Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, for now just Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have missed out on a free practice session in 2022. The British driver was replaced by Nyck de Vries at the Paul Ricard circuit, while Sergio Perez decided his session off at the Circuit de Catalunya, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix back in May.
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