Time for a first assessment for the FDA. Baldisserri: “We are working on many fronts”
It’s the midpoint of the 2011 season and the Ferrari Driver Academy activities are in full swing. A good time to ask the director of the FDA, Luca Baldisserri to go through the programme and its results to date.
“We are involved on several fronts. If we start with the youngest driver, we are very pleased with the progress made by our karting driver, Lance Stroll. He is definitely moving forward at an incredible pace. 2011 was meant to be an acclimatisation year for him, aimed at getting experience in international competition, which is totally new to him. However, Lance immediately proved he could fight his corner and in the European championship held recently in Italy at the “La Conca” track, he made it to the podium.”
Also new in 2011, Raffaele Marciello and Brandon Maisano’s made their debut in Formula 3. What sort of start have they made?
“Of four races held so far in the Italian championship, they have won two. It’s true those wins have come in Race 2, which features an inverted grid, but it’s still an important first step. Now, our aim is to do well in absolute terms, which means winning race 1. Next weekend at Imola will be a good opportunity to see what progress we are making.”
Many drivers who have turned professional have underlined how important was their time in Formula 3. Is that still the case?
“Marciello and Maisano are going through a key period. Last year in Formula Abarth, they drove single-seaters with very limited aerodynamics, while a Formula 3 car is more complete, with aerodynamics playing an important role. This involves quite a different driving style, but it’s something that will still be useful through the rest of their career. I believe Formula 3 is a category that should not be allowed to die, especially when you consider the alternative is GP3, where the car does not teach you much and costs a lot to run.”
Marciello and Maisano are on the same path. Are they going the same way with the same problems or do they each have a different approach?
“They are two guys with very different personalities. Raffaele is more expansive, instinctive and sure of himself, while Brandon is more reflective and approaches new things with much more caution. What we could see in the first half of 2011 reflects what we saw last year. Raffaele is strong right from the start but then his development tails off, while Brandon struggles at the start, but over the distance, he comes out very well. Now we know them, so we can try to correct and forestall these attitudes.”
Let us move on to Jules Bianchi. His season did not get off to a great start, but last weekend at Silverstone, there were encouraging signs.
“Jules has been through a tough time, but his speed as a driver has never been called into question. He made mistakes and in a category like GP2, every error is heavily penalised in terms of the championship. Last weekend, he showed that, when there are no mistakes, he can get excellent results, as could be seen from pole and the win in race 1. The aim in the second half of the championship is in fact to work on drastically reducing the number of errors, and the outcome of the Silverstone event is definitely encouraging.”
It’s only July, but we know that plans are already underway for next season’s racing. What awaits the 2012 FDA drivers?
“Stroll will continue to gain experience in karting, while with Bianchi, I hope he will be working in the Formula 1 environment. At the moment we are evaluating the choices for Marciello and Maisano, but it is still too early to say. Above all we need to understand how the overall situation will develop in Formula 3. At the moment, the European series has a poor field and I believe this rather limits the level of competition in the championship. In order to progress, drivers must be in a competitive environment and so it is essential to compete in a high level championship. We will wait a bit to see how the English and European F3 championships will evolve.”
The FDA is also involved in other projects, although also aimed at helping young drivers.
“We work a lot with the CSAI, Italy’s motor sport body. We have made an agreement for the Italian karting championship run by the Federation which involves an interesting initiative. At four of the races on the calendar, at the end of the weekend, we single out three drivers who have performed particularly well over the weekend. These kids will be invited to the FDA base at Maranello for an initial physical check up and a chat with our mental preparation people. Of the twelve drivers who will have been picked come the end of the season, we will choose three and they will take part in the “Supercorso” run by the Federation School in November. Also taking part in this will be three other drivers coming from the European Formula Abarth series, which will give us six guys who will be put through their paces and analysed over a week of various activities, both on track and off it.”
And can you confirm that the winner of the Italian Formula 3 championship and the best newcomers to the series will get a prize of a Formula 1 test drive.
“As part of the FDA and CSAI activities, we confirm that there will be a test for the winner of the championship and the best newcomers at the wheel of one of one of our Formula 1 cars.”
Are you pleased to have chosen to work with very young drivers?
“Yes, we have chosen to work with very young drivers, knowing that it requires more patience. We want to develop an in depth understanding of our drivers. So, selecting drivers who already have some experience and are higher up the motor sport scale is of no interest to us today.”
Are there other tests planned with the F2009 Formula 1 car?
“We will be back on track in September, at Mugello or Fiorano. It will be a very interesting test, because we will be putting Jules Bianchi and Sergio Perez up against one another. I think they will both be very motivated and for us it will be the perfect opportunity to assess both drivers.”
Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. (www.ferrari.com)
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