Current Ferrari Driver Academy members include the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, Mick, who competed in Formula 2 this year and is preparing for a second season in the series in 2020. He will be joined by fellow FDA members Robert Schwartzman and Marcus Armstrong, who finished first and second in Formula 3 this year, and Callum Ilott and Giuliano Alesi, who both drove in F2 this year.
For years Scuderia Ferrari has drafted in experienced drivers to race for its Formula One team, but in 2019 it gave an opportunity to Charles Leclerc, who had been a member of the FDA since 2016, to partner four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. On the back of the Monegasque driver’s success, the Maranello team is looking to increase the size of its young driver programme
“We are increasing the number of drivers in the Ferrari Driver Academy next year,” Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed – “So, a few other drivers will join. I’m not in the position to tell you how many and who, but it’s something on which we are working on very hard. The driver academy is an important investment for us — we need to look at the future generation of talent for Ferrari. Ferrari is always investing in the future to make sure that we can be stronger and stronger over the medium- and long-term. Shwartzman, Armstrong and Schumacher are learning. We will increase the number of drivers. We want a repeat of the Charles Leclerc project. In 2021 it would be nice if one of the drivers of our academy could debut with another team in F1. It could be Mick.” – the Ferrari boss concluded, as reported by the Italian media earlier today.
