Dino Beganovic is reportedly approaching the end of his path towards a Formula 1 race seat with Ferrari, despite being expected to remain part of the Maranello organisation in a different capacity from 2027. The Swedish driver is set to complete his final season in the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2026 before moving into a test role with the Scuderia’s Formula 1 operation.
According to GPBlog, Ferrari has quietly made its decision over Beganovic’s future after six years within its young-driver programme. Rather than ending its relationship with the Formula 2 driver altogether, the Italian team reportedly intends to redirect his career away from the traditional route towards an F1 race seat.
Dino Beganovic set to leave Ferrari Driver Academy
Beganovic has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, but his time in the programme is reportedly due to conclude at the end of the current season. The decision would represent a significant change in direction for a driver who has spent several years progressing through the junior categories under Ferrari’s guidance.
Crucially, Ferrari is not expected to terminate its relationship with Beganovic. Instead, the Swedish driver is reportedly being lined up for a test driver position with the Formula 1 team at Maranello.
That assignment would involve simulator work designed to support team principal Fred Vasseur and the wider F1 operation with preparations for Grand Prix weekends. Beganovic would therefore remain directly involved with the Scuderia, but his responsibilities would change substantially from those associated with an Academy driver attempting to progress towards a place on the Formula 1 grid.
The move comes as Ferrari continues working simultaneously on its current programme and the cars that will follow. Development of the SF-26 is also considered relevant to Ferrari’s 2027 project, making simulator and development work an important part of the wider operation at Maranello.
Ferrari reportedly closes Beganovic’s route to an F1 race seat
While the proposed test role would keep Dino Beganovic inside Ferrari, it would also effectively bring his progression towards a Formula 1 racing seat to an end. The Scuderia does not appear willing to place him with another team as part of a route onto the grid.
That approach differs from the path Ferrari previously followed with Oliver Bearman. In Bearman’s case, the young driver was placed at Haas as part of his progression into Formula 1. No equivalent junior-team opportunity is reportedly being prepared for Beganovic.
The distinction is important for his career prospects. Remaining connected to Ferrari would give Beganovic a continuing role within an F1 organisation, but the planned change from Academy prospect to test driver indicates that the focus would shift away from preparing him for a future race seat.
Formula 2 departure could open another Ferrari opportunity
Beganovic is currently racing in Formula 2 with DAMS, although he is considered likely to leave the championship in the near future. His reported change of role at Ferrari could therefore coincide with a broader move away from the conventional junior single-seater ladder.
One possible alternative would keep the Swedish driver racing for Ferrari outside Formula 1. Opportunities could emerge in the World Endurance Championship, either in the Hypercar category or in GT competition.
Such a move would allow Beganovic to continue his relationship with the Italian manufacturer while pursuing a different branch of his professional racing career. At the same time, his simulator responsibilities at Maranello would keep him connected to Ferrari’s Formula 1 programme and its preparations for race weekends.
A different Ferrari future from 2027
The reported plan therefore does not amount to a complete separation between Ferrari and Dino Beganovic. Instead, it represents a substantial redefinition of the role the 22-year-old is expected to occupy within the organisation.
After joining the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2020 and progressing through the junior categories to Formula 2, Beganovic now appears set to move away from the route towards a Formula 1 race seat. From 2027, his future could instead combine development responsibilities at Maranello with potential racing opportunities elsewhere in Ferrari’s motorsport programme.
For the Scuderia, the proposed arrangement would retain Beganovic within its wider driver structure while assigning him to work that supports its Formula 1 operation. For the Swedish driver, however, it would mark the end of the Academy chapter and, according to the report, the end of Ferrari’s plan to develop him towards an F1 racing seat.
Leave a Reply