Shwartzman handed FP1 outing with Sauber at Zandvoort
Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman will enjoy his first official F1 practice session of the year this Friday when he takes to the track at Zandvoort with Sauber.
The 24-year-old Ferrari reserve has previously taken part in four FP1 sessions over the past two seasons, exclusively with the Scuderia. His upcoming Dutch Grand Prix outing will therefore be his first with Sauber.
Shwartzman is set to replace Valtteri Bottas in Friday’s opening session.
“As in previous occasions, we work in partnership with Scuderia Ferrari to give young talent an opportunity in practice sessions. Good luck, Robert!” commented Sauber.
Sauber is the only team on the grid that has yet to score a championship point, the Swiss outfit enduring a challenging campaign ahead of its final transition year into the works Audi F1 team in 2025.
Furthermore, the Swiss outfit’s troubles have extended beyond the track, with Audi recently dismissing Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and board member Oliver Hoffmann and entrusting the running of its F1 project to former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.
Nico Hulkenberg has been brought onboard from Haas to lead in Audi-Sauber’s line-up next season but the Hinwil squad has yet to nominate the German’s teammate.
Bottas remains in the running for the seat, but Audi-Sauber might be keen on handing its second drive to a worthy young hopeful such as Shwartzman.
In addition to his reserve and support role in F1 with Ferrari this season, Shwartzman is also a member of the works AF Corse Hypercar effort in the 2024 World Endurance Championship, steering his Ferrari 499P along with teammates Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye.
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