Many will have noticed the absence of Carlos Sainz this morning. Don't worry, the Spaniard didn't have indigestion of beaches and yachts, simply as per the rules he gave up his seat for one of the free practice of the season to a rookie. Who? Ferrari's test driver: Robert Shwartzman.
You leave everything behind to chase an F1 dream
Robert Schwartzman was born in 1999 in Israel where he lived with his family until he was three years old, then moved to St. Petersburg and Italy immediately afterwards, at six years old, to follow his dream of an automotive career. She goes a long way, wins the 3 F2019 championship and participates in two F2 championships, finishing fourth and second. Taken under the wing of Ferrari, he becomes a test driver, playing a key role in collecting data on the simulator, but obviously that is not the goal of any driver...
You leave everything to chase a dream, and this is demonstrated by Nicholas Latifi who, abandoning racing, decides to resume his studies, often neglected due to the nomadic life of aspiring drivers. You leave your home, your family, your friends, your studies and it's not so easy for a child. Unfortunately, however, it has become increasingly difficult to access the main category, which always risks leaving out promising youngsters due to the limited availability of seats. To name two very recent ones, Felipe Drogovich and the aforementioned Robert Shwartzman.
Driving a Ferrari
According to the regulations, each team must have a rookie take part in 2 free practice sessions and for the second consecutive year the opportunity to ride the Ferrari was given to Shwartzman that once the emotion of driving in F1 has boiled over, he demonstrates great professionalism. Interviewed by Sky Sports after the session immediately he analyzes the car's performance which he says confirms the sensations of the simulator, but he is a little disheartened by the team's decision to do a data collection session without having the possibility to turn on some time and get noticed. From his words, however, a great love for the team can be seen, a team man is what you see when observing Robert Shwartzman. He ended the session with the nineteenth time, with Leclerc in sixteenth and a Ferrari absolutely dull in Zandvoort.
What to do with young people?
The question arises spontaneously: however, what is the point of giving a pilot the greatest chance in life and then limiting it? F1 thrives on opportunities, there are many cases in which a sudden replacement brings out a young man who was just waiting to be able to put his foot down on an F1. The most recent example is Nyck De Vries who, acting as a substitute at the Monza GP in 2022, achieved an eighth position and the seat for the following season (which unfortunately ended well early). So what is the point of sharpening a lion's nails and then keeping it in a cage? How can F1 improve to allow talent to have a true luck?
