24/01/2022
NEWS STORY
Robert Shwartzman will join Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at Fiorano this week as Ferrari's preparations for the coming season get underway.
Before the likes of the Daily Express get excited, this was not a surprise debut for this year's world championship challenger, which goes by the project code number 674 and will break cover in on 17th February, but something that has become a bit of a tradition by now, with drivers, engineers and mechanics all getting back into the swing of a Grand Prix, with a four day track session starting tomorrow at Ferrari's own track.
Taking part, at the wheel of last year's SF21 will be the Italian team's two race drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and test driver Robert Shwartzman.
Leclerc will be on track on Wednesday, followed by Sainz the next day. It will be an opportunity for them to meet up with the team once again, go through all the procedures and drive an F1 car for the first time since both were behind the wheel was at the Yas Marina test, week following the final race of last season.
On that occasion, they drove a mule car fitted with the 18-inch wheels to prepare for the new season.
Starting and rounding off proceedings will be the team's new test driver, Robert Shwartzman. The Russian, runner-up in last year's Formula 2 championship, will thus have his first outing in his new role.
It's a welcome return to an F1 cockpit 42 days on from his last drive at Abu Dhabi, when he completed 73 laps of the Yas Marina track at the wheel of the SF21.