Sebastian Vettel returned to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car for the first time since pre-season testing as he sampled Ferrari’s SF71-H at prospective grand prix venue Mugello on Tuesday morning
Vettel confirmed in May that he and Ferrari will part ways at the end of the season and his future in the championship remains uncertain.
Ferrari organised the one-day test at Mugello, which it owns, ahead of next weekend’s opening round of the delayed 2020 campaign in Austria.
The team is using its race-winning 2018 car, the SF71-H, with Vettel completing running during the morning and Charles Leclerc due to run this afternoon.
Leclerc briefly returned to action last Thursday when he demonstrated Ferrari’s 2020 Formula 1 car, the SF1000, through the streets of Maranello.
Mugello has never hosted a Formula 1 race though is in line to hold a 2020 grand prix on account of the coronavirus pandemic, with the championship searching for more venues in Europe.
Mugello, Portimao, Imola and Hockenheim are all in contention to hold events between the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and the final two yet-to-be-confirmed rounds in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.
Formula 1 is continuing to explore its options at other existing venues, most notably Russia’s Sochi Autodrom and China’s Shanghai International Circuit.
Ferrari is the fourth Formula 1 team to hold a test or shakedown prior to Austria, with Mercedes and Renault also running 2018 cars, while Racing Point used its 2020 car at a filming day.
AlphaTauri is due to put its Honda-powered AT01 through its paces at Imola on Wednesday.
