“Hopefully an opportunity may present itself” – Ferrari junior Callum Ilott is pushing for a Formula 1 senior debut next season, following in the footsteps of Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher.
Callum Ilott has a bright future in Formula 1, but for that, he needs to make it to a senior team first. The F2 runner-up from last season is currently a test and reserve driver for the Ferrari works team and Alfa Romeo.
This season, he saw Yuki Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher, and Nikita Mazepin make their F1 debuts. The Brit had finished behind Schumacher Jr. in F2 last season and was in contention for the Haas seat. Nevertheless, he is pleased with their debuts, and is eyeing something similar with a Ferrari team next season.
“Yuki made a great impression in Bahrain – it was really good to watch, actually.
“So from that side, it was a good benchmark to say, ‘look, here’s what one guy can do’. With Mick, we all know that he takes a bit of time to get there. But once he’s there, he will be good. And you can already see the pace is getting better.
“I think they’re doing a good job, and I think it’s only a matter of time before the reference is even closer. And it’s easier for me to say, ‘well, I was in the middle of these two guys!’
“I still think I’m in a very, very good position. Yes, I have to wait a year. I’ve seen people wait too. The focus is still on doing the best job as possible on the GT side, and the FP1 side, and then hopefully an opportunity may present itself.”
Read more Callum Ilott stats 2020: What made Ferrari hire him as reserve driver in 2021?
