Under the supervision of the head of its driver academy, Luca Baldisserri, Ferrari today carried out F1 tests at Vallelunga for the top three finishers in the Italian Formula 3 Championship.

First to jump into the cockpit of an F2008 this morning was the 21-year-old Brazilian from Porto Alegre, Cesar Ramos, who won the series. He was followed by second placed Stephane Richelmi, the twenty-year-old from Monaco and then another twenty-year-old, Andrea Caldarelli, from Abruzzo in Italy, who came third in the championship.

The Vallelunga test was the third time the top three in the Italian Formula 3 Championship have got their hands on an F1 car, after the 2008 session at Fiorano and another at Jerez in 2009.

The drivers had plenty to say at the end of the day. "Taking to the track in a Ferrari Formula 1 car was an incredible experience, better than anything I expected," said Ramos. "I tried to enjoy it as much as possible, because it really was a dream come true. During the session I was guided by a group of professionals who made me feel perfectly at ease and that contributed to making it an unforgettable experience."

Richelmi underlined the huge difference between this and a Formula 3 car. "I realised that driving a Formula One car is hard work, which requires a lot of training and careful preparation and I am proud to have been given this opportunity."

Equally enthusiastic was Italy's Andrea Caldarelli, the last to get behind the wheel. "Driving a Ferrari is the dream of every driver. I tried not to feel awestruck by the occasion so as not to waste a single moment. It has been a day I will never forget."