OCTOBER 5, 2020

Three Ferrari rookies in 2021 not possible

Ferrari's sporting boss Laurent Mekies has played down hopes that all three high-profile academy driver members will be in Formula 1 next year.

Ferrari's sporting boss Laurent Mekies has played down hopes that all three high-profile academy driver members will be in Formula 1 next year.

Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott will make Friday practice appearances for Alfa Romeo and Haas respectively at the Nurburgring, while Robert Shwartzman will get his chance later this season.

All three are within the top five in the Formula 2 standings, and all are linked with potential debuts for the Ferrari-linked Alfa Romeo and Haas teams for 2021.

Mekies is quoted as saying trying to find them all places is a "nice problem" for Ferrari to have.

"Having so many promising young drivers makes us happy and gives us stability," he is quoted by Speed Week. "We have many different options for the future, which is exactly why the academy was founded.

"We know of course that it won't be possible to get three drivers into Formula 1 at the same time. But we have enough tools to train them further, be it in Formula 2 or in the role of test driver," Mekies added.

(GMM)