Intense work session for the Ferrari Driver Academy

The three days of testing with the drivers of the Ferrari Driver Academy ended today, who since last Monday have been engaged in sessions of studying the English language, mental training, physical preparation and, above all, track tests on the Fiorano circuit. On Monday, Brandon Maisano and Raffaele Marciello took turns in the Formula Abarth, while the other drivers from the Ferrari "nursery" - Jules Bianchi, Daniel Zampieri and Mirko Bortolotti - tested themselves today at the wheel of an F2008 from the F1 Clienti department.

Project manager Luca Baldisserri explained how the FDA's objective is above all to develop a project aimed at young drivers who, one day, could make their debut in F1: "This program is organized with the support of highly qualified technicians who work to offer a series of services that enable young drivers to express their talent and potential". Athletic and mental preparation and work on concentration and stress management skills therefore fit into this context: "We offer everyone simulator programs always combined with a test on the track, giving them the opportunity to express themselves with a car that has superior characteristics to those with which they usually race in the respective championships" - continued Baldisserri - "We also try to teach the correct working method on the track, also indirectly improving the way of relating with the teams of the categories with which they run."

Determination is the common denominator of all the drivers of the Driver Academy. For fifteen-year-old Marciello, being part of the Ferrari project is a source of satisfaction but not synonymous with stress: “I want to continue to maintain the same approach to life that I have had up to now. In this context, I don't have the feeling of being under scrutiny but I see the experience as a great opportunity." For Maisano, however, it was a unique emotion: “Going from karts to Formula Abarth and above all trying your hand at a legendary track like Fiorano”.

The drivers who have raced in F1 are aware of the progress and results obtained. Jules Bianchi, involved in the GP2 Series with the ART team, specified: "I'm not focused on the time but on improving his driving techniques." Daniel Zampieri, driver of the World Series, appreciated the working method with which the Academy is organised: "It leaves the drivers free to give instructions to the technicians on the set-up of the single-seater, in order to improve communication with the team". Mirko Bortolotti, in his third experience on a Ferrari Formula 1 after the tests carried out at Fiorano in November 2008 and, as a member of the Academy last March, has shown that he has always had a clear objective: “I want to get the maximum and I continue to work for this."