Ferrari Driver Academy
Ferrari Driver Academy is an initiative from Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari to promote young talent inside its own organisation, with several drivers being selected and funded by the team, being under long-term contracts.[1]
History
The idea of the concept came from Felipe Massa's grooming within the Ferrari organisation, with the Brazilian being loaned out to Sauber for three seasons whilst being under contract with Ferrari. Jules Bianchi became the first signing for the scheme in December 2009, being followed by Mirko Bortolotti, Daniel Zampieri and Raffaele Marciello in March 2010.[2] In late 2010, Ferrari confirmed Sergio Pérez had been signed up to the scheme, the Mexican being set to be its first graduate to Formula One competition, having already signed for Sauber days before the announcement.[3][4] Pérez had to leave after signing to McLaren for the 2013 Formula One season.
Current drivers
| Driver | Years | Current Series |
|---|---|---|
 Jules Bianchi |
2009– | none |
 Raffaele Marciello |
2010– | GP2 Series |
 Lance Stroll |
2010– | European F3 Championship |
| Antonio Fuoco |
2013– | GP3 Series |
 Guanyu Zhou[5] |
2014– | Italian F4 Championship[6] |
Former drivers
| Driver | Years | Series competed |
|---|---|---|
| Mirko Bortolotti |
2010 | GP3 Series (2010) |
| Daniel Zampieri |
2010 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2010) |
 Sergio Pérez |
2010–12 | GP2 Series (2010) Formula One (2011-12) |
| Brandon Maïsano |
2010–12 | Formula Abarth (2010) Italian Formula Three Championship (2011-2012) |
- Championship titles highlighted in bold.
See also
References
- ↑ Elizalde, Pablo (December 18, 2009). "Ferrari sets up young driver academy". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ↑ Beer, Matt (March 6, 2010). "Ferrari expands young driver academy". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ↑ Noble, Jonathan (October 8, 2010). "Perez joins Ferrari young driver scheme". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ↑ "FDA testing at Fiorano: on track with Formula 3 today and F1 Thursday". Ferrari.com. September 12, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Scuderia Ferrari: new from China". Ferrari.com. June 9, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Zhou in single-seaters for 2015". Ferrari.com. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.