The Pirelli testing session at the Yas Marina circuit concluded with three Ferrari cars in the top three positions: while seeing Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on the top two places is not not surprising, the third position of Robert Shwartzman is a bit, especially taking into consideration the fact that he finished just 17 thousandths behind Charles: “I left a tenth and a half at the last corner,” Robert Shwartzman underlined with regret. The Russian-Israeli racing driver then recounted the day with great enthusiasm:
“I’m very happy because this day allowed me to take another step forward” – he explained at the end of his testing session in Abu Dhabi – “I started from the feedback I had from the first free practice session on Friday and I think I’ve taken a further step. I immediately felt better in the car, it was a more familiar feeling, and lap after lap I got closer to Charles’ lap times, who was my reference at the time.” – he explained.
“The race simulations with this car were a new thing for me – he continued – I had to find a bit of a feeling, but then in the afternoon I got close to Charles’ times. The window in which the tire works best is very small, and it’s not easy to understand if you can push harder or risk destroying it. Then at the end of the day we went back to targeting performance, and I had to do a mental reset, because I had concentrated on driving on race pace and needed to get back into…qualy-mode. I managet a good lap with the C5s, even with that mistake at the last corner” – the Ferrari reserve driver pointed out.
After spending a long part of 2022 in the Maranello simulator, Robert Shwartzman had the opportunity to enjoy a full day on the track and while the pits and hospitality centers were being disassembled around him, his smile said more than many words.
“I compared myself with two drivers who won races and took pole positions, and seeing my times gradually get closer to their results made me really happy. You don’t have time available in a single free practice session on Friday and that’s why I enjoyed this day a lot. I was able to improve the starts too, and now I think that if there were a Grand Prix at this track next weekend, well, I’d feel up to the task, ready to bring a good result to the team.”
Tomorrow another challenge begins for Robert Shwartzman, and it is the one relating to his future plans. “At the moment I’m evaluating everything, we’ll see what I have on the table in the coming weeks. This testing program has given me confidence, I hope I’ve proved something, this season I’ve had very few chances to be on the track and I’ve tried to make the most of them” – the Russian-Israeli racing driver continued.
After a pat on the back from Carlos Sainz and some Ferrari engineers, Robert Shwartzman was keen to point out just one last thing: “When I drove this car the first few times I felt incredible, sometimes I had the feeling that the single-seater was superior to me, that it knew more than me. Then lap after lap I began to understand and tame it, always with respect, and in the end I had the feeling of having the reins in my hand, a truly incredible feeling” – the Ferrari reserve driver concluded.
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