Ferrari F1 Complete Their Five Day Testing Schedule; Mick Schumacher, Carlos Sainz Get Productive Experience

On January 29, Ferrari completed five days of testing at their private Fiorano track. Over the course of the five days, they completed 500 laps, equaling 1500 kilometers. They did this with one car, the SF71H, and used seven drivers during the testing period.

The drivers were Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, reserve driver Callum Ilott. Other drivers who tested at the track included Haas driver Mick Schumacher, Ferrari Driver Academy and Prema Racing Formula Two driver Robert Shwartzman, FDA and DAMS Racing Formula Two driver Marcus Armstrong and departing Ferrari Driver Academy driver Giuliano Alesi.

Strong representation of the Ferrari driver academy in the Fiorano test

Six of the seven drivers who took part in this test have come through the Ferrari Driver Academy. Carlos Sainz was the odd driver out as he came through the Red Bull Junior Team.

Mick Schumacher will be making his debut in the Formula One with Ferrari-powered Haas for the upcoming season, who will be fighting with Williams for last few spots on the grid. A lot of expectations have been put on his young shoulders, but he is expected to have a very tough first season. This promotion comes on the back of a dominant Formula Two Championship win.

Ilott’s encouraging performances in Formula Two have seen him promoted to reserve driver for the Ferrari F1 team. He finished second in the Drivers Championship racing for Prema Racing.

Shwartzman, on the other hand, will be looking to build on his fourth-place finish in the F2 Drivers Championship. He would be fancying his chances to win the Championship in the 2021 season.

Armstrong will be looking to make a big improvement on his debut season. Before his departure from the FDA, he was given the opportunity to test the SF71H at the track. In doing so, he received a better gift – the possibility to emulate his father Jean.

Team looking to rebuild after horrific 2020 season?

Ferrari would be looking to improve on their horrible performance in the 2020 F1 season. They ended the season in sixth in the Constructor’s Championship, finishing a despairing 50 points behind Renault.

This does not impact just their reputation, but also affects the amount of the prize money they get. They’ve rejigged their driver lineup, bringing in Carlos Sainz to replace Sebastian Vettel.

They will be at least looking to finish at the best of the rest of the constructors this season.