Several young drivers are set to take part in the FP1 session at the Mexican GP weekend. Among the drivers making the headlines is Ferrari reserve driver, Robert Shwartzman, who will get to drive for Sauber in that session. This will be his second FP1 appearance this year after driving at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort earlier in the season.
Other drivers who will feature in FP1 include Pato O’Ward driving for McLaren, Oliver Bearman for Ferrari, and Felipe Drugovich for Aston Martin. Mercedes might also bring Andrea Kimi Antonelli back to the track, though their plans are yet to be confirmed.
Shwartzman is currently competing full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for AF Corse. Driving alongside Yifei Ye and Robert Kubica, Shwartzman has already tasted success, with the trio securing a victory in the six-hour race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari.
AF CORSE WIN AT COTA!!!
Robert Kubica, Ye Yifei and Robert Shwartzman are victorious by only 1.7 seconds
1️⃣ 83 AF Corse
2️⃣ 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing
3️⃣ 50 Ferrari AF CorseDPPI/FIA WEC#WEC pic.twitter.com/2AJYPCLAoE
— Ewan Wane (@EwanAWane) September 2, 2024
The Ferrari reserve driver has been impressive throughout his junior career. In 2020, he made a stunning debut in F2 with Prema Racing, finishing third in his first race. Schwartzman had an impressive season securing four wins, more than any other driver that year, but could only finish fourth in the final standings.
In 2021, Schwartzman once again delivered on his potential but could finish as the runner-up to a dominant Oscar Piastri, who claimed the F2 title as a rookie. With this, he graduated from F2 as a promising young talent with several race wins and podiums under his belt.
But F1 teams were not too keen on hiring rookies at the time, and Shwartzman, like many others, had to wait for an opportunity. Even Piastri, who had won the F2 title, had to wait a year before getting his big break with McLaren.
A quick look at Shwartzman’s impressive career so far
Schwartzman started karting at the early age of five and had a lot of success. Over his seven-year karting career, the Israel-born driver won four titles, making him a prodigy to watch out for.
In the junior categories as well, Schwartzman started to prove his mettle. The 2015 season was only his second year in car racing and he finished third in the Italian F4 championship. Even in the ADAC F4 championship, his consistency helped him to finish fourth despite winning no races.
By 2017, Shwartzman had advanced to Formula Renault, finishing third overall in the Eurocup series.
During this time, Ferrari started to notice him more, as he tested a Formula 3 car for the Prema Powerteam. The Italian outfit has seen enough to onboard him to the Ferrari Driver Academy and that was Schwartzman’s big opportunity to move up the ladder of F1 quickly.
He’s back: @ShwartzmanRob will return behind the wheel of the C44, driving in FP1 for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/12jS2A7kUq
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) October 21, 2024
While that hasn’t happened as he would’ve expected, the 25-year-old is in a good place, driving for Ferrari’s WEC program — which is a great alternative to F1. As for driving in the circus, Shwartzman is only getting FP1 appearances besides some testing currently.
In Zandvoort, the Ferrari reserve driver did 15 laps for Sauber in wet track conditions. With the Mexico FP1 also being a similar one-off opportunity, Shwartzman may perhaps know that the chances of him getting a full-time F1 seat are very slim.
