Robert Schwartzman: I will be behind the wheel of a Ferrari again during testing

Robert Schwartzman returned to the wheel of Ferrari during the first free practice of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and replaced Charles Leclerc for an hour. The young driver completed the planned program, completed twenty-five laps and set the eighth fastest time.

In the second practice session, Leclerc led the session and his teammate Carlos Sainz crashed the car, leading to red flags and a break of almost half an hour.

Charles Leclerc (1st): “Difficult day. I only did two laps empty, and not many laps in total. However, the car left a good impression.

We keep fighting with Mercedes – they look competitive so it just won’t happen. We will do our best to qualify before them.”

Carlos Sainz (19th): “This is not the kind of Friday I wanted in Abu Dhabi. In the first session we experimented a bit with the settings, and I waited until the second session to continue this work.

Unfortunately I hit a big bump entering turn three, lost control of the car and crashed into the barrier. A costly mistake and I apologize to the mechanics for adding more work.

I’m sure we will prepare tomorrow and return to the track. Apparently the gaps will be minimal, so we can count on an interesting qualification.”

Robert Schwartzman (8th in the first session): “A positive day for me; the session went smoothly, which I am very happy with. We completed the entire planned program and my lap times were close to Carlos’ times, which became my benchmark today. I had to pay attention to the rear tires and the car itself seemed heavy to me, but it was an interesting challenge.

Many thanks to the team and everyone who gave me the opportunity to get behind the wheel today. It’s always great to drive a Formula 1 car, especially a Ferrari. On Tuesday I will be behind the wheel again for a full day of testing. I look forward.”