Here's a good idea: forced to field a rookie before the last Grand Prix in Carlos Sainz's single-seater, the Scuderia could turn to its development driver Arthur Leclerc!
The sporting regulations of Formula 1 are formal: teams must field a young driver (less than two Grands Prix on the clock) during two EL1 sessions during the season.
Ferrari handed the wheel of Charles Leclerc's SF24 to its reserve Oliver Bearman in Mexico, but the Briton has since replaced the ailing Kevin Magnussen in Brazil and now has three Grand Prix starts, making him ineligible for another exit in EL1.
Rookie shortage
The Scuderia could turn to Robert Shwartzman, placed in free testing at Sauber this year then oriented towards Prema in IndyCar, or Antonio Fuoco who recently tested in F1 at Fiorano but the 2024 winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans is already 28 years old. years old, a bit old for a rookie.
Another option presents itself and it does not lack originality: calling on Arthur Leclerc (24 years old), younger brother of Charles, long-time member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and responsible for simulator work at Maranello. Leclerc Jr has been seen in endurance racing this season in LMP2 and won the Italian GT championship for Ferrari. Previously, Arthur had raced in F3 (sixth in 2022 with Prema) and in F2 (fifteenth last year with DAMS).
Two brothers on the same team
If Arthur Leclerc participates in the first free practice session on the Yas Marina track in December, it would be the first time that two brothers have lined up in F1 since Michael and Ralf Schumacher in 2006 as well as the first siblings within the same team since Emerson and Wilson Fittipaldi with Copersucar in 1973, even if brothers Teo and Corrado Fabi took turns sharing a wheel at Brabham in 1984.
In the last century, we also saw in Formula 1 the Stewart brothers (Jimmy the elder and Sir Jackie, triple world champion), Rodriguez (Ricardo then Pedro), Scheckter (Jody and Ian), Villeneuve (Gilles and Jacques Sr) , Brabham (David and Gary) and Winkelhock (Manfred and Jo).
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