Ferrari’s world head of endurance, Antonello Coletta, has formally introduced that Robert Shwartzman shall be parting methods with the Italian automaker following this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain.
Throughout a press briefing on Friday, Coletta confirmed that Robert Shwartzman is not going to return to the lineup for Ferrari’s third-string No. 83 AF Corse 499P in 2025 as he embarks on a brand new enterprise, which is broadly believed to be a seat within the NTT IndyCar Sequence with Prema Racing.
Though the hypothesis surrounding Robert Shwartzman’s potential transfer to IndyCar has been ongoing for a number of months, Coletta emphasised that there shall be no formal ties between Shwartzman and Ferrari sooner or later.
Robert Shwartzman, who’s 25 years previous, has been related to the Maranello staff since late 2017. He started his profession with Ferrari as a junior driver, competing in numerous collection like FIA Components 3 and Components 2. Since 2022, he has additionally served as a take a look at and reserve driver for Ferrari’s Components 1 staff.
“He has determined to make one other selection, however most respect for him,” Antonello Coletta confirmed.
This announcement comes on the heels of Antonello Coletta’s remarks throughout final weekend’s Ferrari Finali Mondiali, the place he confirmed that there shall be no alterations to the driving force lineup for its two factory-entered 499P vehicles within the upcoming yr.
When Sportscar365 inquired whether or not Ferrari had contemplated elevating both Robert Shwartzman or his teammate Yifei Ye to a manufacturing unit seat for the subsequent season, the person answerable for Ferrari’s Hypercar programme responded: “Our aim is to have three vehicles [that are] very constant, and admittedly talking, we’re very comfortable about [the drivers] of the No. 50 and No. 51. It’s necessary additionally to have good drivers within the No. 83. For the longer term, we’ll see. If it will likely be essential, we are able to make an adjustment, however in the intervening time we’re comfortable to maintain the identical combos.” – the Italian identified.
Though Ye will proceed with the No. 83 staff subsequent yr alongside newly signed Phil Hanson, it’s nonetheless unsure whether or not Robert Kubica will stay with the squad for the subsequent season. Antonello Coletta voiced his optimism that Kubica will select to proceed his affiliation with AF Corse, particularly contemplating that the Polish driver had beforehand shared doubts about prolonging his tenure with the Italian outfit earlier this yr.
“I hope Robert stays within the lineup of the No. 83. This weekend I do know that Amato [Ferrari] and Robert can have a closing assembly. Our dream is to take care of Robert with us, as a result of everyone knows his worth, his expertise. I imagine that he’s invaluable for all of our initiatives and never simply the No. 83.” – he added.
Coletta additionally addressed the futures of two further drivers on Ferrari’s manufacturing unit roster, Alessio Rovera and Lilou Wadoux, each of whom have had the chance to check the 499P.
Whereas Rovera had been thought-about a possible candidate to maneuver up from Ferrari’s LMGT3 lineup to a seat within the No. 83 staff subsequent yr, notably after serving because the model’s Hypercar reserve this season, Coletta pressured the significance of the Italian driver’s contributions inside the GT class. He remarked that Rovera is probably going probably the most constant drivers in GT racing and serves as a benchmark for the staff. Moreover, Antonello Coletta famous that Alessio Rovera has been the reserve for the LMH program and took part in all of the checks previous to the beginning of the 2023 season, though he highlighted the need of sustaining high competitiveness in GT.
Concerning Rovera’s future prospects, Coletta indicated that it’s not not possible for him to progress additional, emphasizing his velocity and present participation in LMP2. He conveyed that it’s important for Alessio Rovera to maintain his efficiency sharp in prototypes, suggesting that he could also be thought-about for one of many staff’s three vehicles sooner or later.
As for Lilou Wadoux, she examined the 499P throughout final yr’s post-season rookie take a look at in Bahrain and has been balancing her commitments this yr between SUPER GT, the place she competes in a 296 GT3 with PONOS Racing, and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup in an LMP2 automobile run by AF Corse.
Antonello Coletta shared his perception that Lilou Wadoux will seemingly stay in GT racing for 2025, noting that her experiences in Japan have been fairly useful. He identified her efficiency at Sugo, the place she led for a number of laps earlier than ending second, as a testomony to her expertise.
The Italian supervisor expressed satisfaction along with her progress and talked about that there are a lot of concepts for her future, though they should finalize plans earlier than making selections about drivers for subsequent yr. Antonello Coletta defined that each one GT3 applications are usually set in late November or early December, making it difficult to have a complete view of all applications worldwide. Nonetheless, he reiterated the staff’s dedication to offering Wadoux with the very best alternative that can provide constant worth, recognizing her energy and the significance of putting her in a aggressive automobile.
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