Fuoco to take on Ferrari in first practice session in Abu Dhabi
Oliver Bearman replaced Kevin Magnussen in the Haas seat for the Brazilian GP, taking his third race to the race limit of two races to be considered a budding talent. As such, Bearman is no longer considered a rookie driver by the FIA and will therefore not be able to drive the Ferrari SF-24 in the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi GP.
The Scuderia, somewhat taken aback by this, had to reconsider its plans because Bearman was required to drive the Ferrari in Abu Dhabi in order to comply with the rule that requires teams to use a “rookie” in two practice sessions during the championship and on the test day following the Yas Marina GP.
Ferrari has decided to prepare Antonio Fuoco early on the road. The 28-year-old, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P he shared with Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina, was called to Fiorano on Friday to practice with Ferrari’s single-seater F1-75 from two years ago.
The young driver’s main activity is in the World Endurance Championship, where he finished second in the drivers’ standings, but is still expected to contribute to F1’s simulator development efforts.
This test at Ferrari’s home track is a sure sign that Fuoco will be taking part in practice in Abu Dhabi, although no official statement has been made yet, with the announcement expected in the coming days.
For Fuoco, this will be a great opportunity to get back into a single-seater without any pressure to get a result. He will be able to enjoy the event by contributing to the car’s set-up in the final race of the season, when the Scuderia could still be in contention for the Constructors’ Championship.
Fuoco will move to the red car, which Carlos Sainz will leave vacant, and will drive the number 38.
