Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Sauber super sub and Ferrari third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will be getting more track time in Formula One this season, with a deal to take part in seven FP1 sessions for Haas F1 recently completed.
Following his up and down Grand Prix debut stepping in for the injured Pascal Wehrlein at Melbourne and China earlier this year, Italian youngster Antonio Giovinazzi will continue his Formula One education at the American Haas F1 outfit with a deal secured to run in no less than seven Free Practice One sessions this season, beginning with a run out at the British Grand Prix in place of former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen.
Further outings at Hungary, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi will follow for the Ferrari youngster as the Prancing Horse continue to keep their options open for the seasons ahead.
"In a year that's already been filled with great opportunities, I'm proud to have another one with Haas F1 team," said Giovinazzi.
"Being the third driver with Scuderia Ferrari is obviously a great place to be, and getting seat time in these FP1 sessions with Haas F1 team will keep me sharp. I'll be able to take what I've learned in the simulator and apply it in actual race conditions.
"I'm proud of the faith Ferrari and Haas have in me and gracious for the seat time Kevin and Romain are sharing with me."
Haas F1 Team chief Gunther Steiner commented: "Antonio earned a good bit of Formula 1 experience during his two races with Sauber this year and these FP1 sessions with our team will allow him to develop even more.
"He is highly regarded by Ferrari and performed very well last year in Formula 2 [GP2]. It's a good opportunity for him and we're happy to provide it.
"Credit also goes to Kevin and Romain [Grosjean] for graciously sharing their racecars with Antonio."
"Being the third driver with Scuderia Ferrari is obviously a great place to be, and getting seat time in these FP1 sessions with Haas F1 team will keep me sharp. I'll be able to take what I've learned in the simulator and apply it in actual race conditions.
"I'm proud of the faith Ferrari and Haas have in me and gracious for the seat time Kevin and Romain are sharing with me."
Haas F1 Team chief Gunther Steiner commented: "Antonio earned a good bit of Formula 1 experience during his two races with Sauber this year and these FP1 sessions with our team will allow him to develop even more.
"He is highly regarded by Ferrari and performed very well last year in Formula 2 [GP2]. It's a good opportunity for him and we're happy to provide it.
"Credit also goes to Kevin and Romain [Grosjean] for graciously sharing their racecars with Antonio."
With Kimi Räikkönen heading towards his 38th birthday and lead driver Sebastien Vettel regularly at the top of most rival teams wish lists, Ferrari are keen to secure the driving talent of the future and see their close relationship with Haas F1 as the perfect opportunity for the 23 year old Italian to gain further seat time in a 2017 specification Grand Prix car, without the pressure of learning in front of a race day crowd on the Sunday.
Tellingly for both the pecking order at Haas and also Ferrari's continued interest in the driver, Giovinazzi will only be replacing Frenchman Romain Grosjean for just the single event in Mexico, as no doubt the Ferrari squad are interested to see how Gio stacks up against another driver long rumoured to be firmly on the radar of the upper management in Maranello. For his part Grosjean has made no secret of his desire to find himself encased in the red overalls of the Scuderia , with the opportunity to directly compare himself to a driver well known by Ferrari will no doubt be relished by the man once labelled "dangerous" by his Formula One rivals.
In other young driver news, highly rated British Formula Three driver Lando Norris has secured himself an opportunity to drive a 2011 specification McLaren at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. The 17 year old will benefit from two full days of running in the Mercedes powered MP4-26 as part of the prize for winning the coveted McLaren Autosport BRDC award in 2016, a trophy previously secured by British racing talents the likes of Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Dario Franchitti amongst other big names of the motorsport world.
Already signed as a McLaren Honda Junior Driver, Norris will be taking to the wheel of a Formula One car for the very first time this week in Portugal as he looks to further enhance a reputation riding high following no less than four championship victories in the past three years, including currently running second in the highly competitive European Formula Three Championship this season for Carlin Motorsport.
With seasoned veterans such as Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen coming towards the end of their top tier careers it will be left to the likes of Giovanizzi and Norris to pick up the future of Formula One. Can either of the talented young drivers go on to emulate the success of some of the older generation of current talent? Only time will tell...
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Do you think either driver could have what it takes to succeed in Formula One in the future? Which other young talent do you think deserves a crack at the F1 big time? Let us know in the comments section below!
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