Ferrari have revealed the identity of the young driver they will use to replace their usual duo in two FP1 sessions this season.
A new rule introduced this season requires teams to allow young drivers to take part in a minimum of two sessions per year. Some have already obliged, with Williams, Red Bull and Mercedes having filled one of the slots in the first part of the season.
But over the course of the final nine races everyone will have to comply. Ferrari are yet to decide which races will see either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz replaced for FP1, but they have at least decided which of their academy drivers will get the chance to get some F1 experience under their belt.
That lucky driver is Robert Shwartzman, the team's race director Laurent Mekies revealed. The Russian racer finished as runner-up in the Formula 2 championship last season, and plans to feature under the Israeli flag – the country of his birth.
"For us it's Shwartzman that will do our two FP1s. We haven't exactly decided on which events it's going to be," said Mekies. "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."
Meanwhile, Ferrari have been urged to make changes to their race strategy operation after a series of high-profile blunders this season. The team's former chief Cesare Fiorio called upon Mattia Binotto to replace strategy boss Inaki Rueda and change the way they work on a race day.
"Mattia was originally a designer and he knows how to do that job very well, as shown with the F1-75," said Fiorio. "He just needs people who fit better with the culture. Binotto needs to stay in place, but not Rueda – he has never positively influenced the different teams he has worked for.
"Modern strategies are based on very advanced and complex mathematical models, which unfortunately no longer correspond with personal intuitions. In the race, you often have a few seconds in which decisions have to be made. You don't have time to analyse dozens of models, manage computers and communicate remotely. It means Ferrari is now lacking this personal intuition."
