Ferrari will run Formula 1 machinery across five consecutive days at its Fiorano facility next week, with new signing Carlos Sainz to make his debut, and Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher also set to drive.
Ferrari has recruited Sainz on a two-year deal to take the place of Aston Martin-bound Sebastian Vettel.
The team lobbied the FIA in an attempt to permit Sainz to make his Ferrari debut at last month’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi, after Fernando Alonso was given approval to run for Renault, but were not successful.
Instead Sainz will get behind the wheel of Ferrari’s Formula 1 machinery for the first time next week as part of a five-day test for the team that is set to involve seven drivers.
Ferrari will use the 2018-spec SF71H, which finished second in the championship with six victories, as per Formula 1’s regulations, and the test will take place at its Fiorano test track, adjacent to its Maranello base, in Italy.
A trio of youngsters will be up first and for two of them it will be their first experience of Formula 1 machinery.
Giuliano Alesi, Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman will share duties on Monday.
Neither Alesi nor Armstrong have previously driven Formula 1 cars though Shwartzman sampled the SF71H prior to participating in the post-season test in the 2020-spec SF1000.
Armstrong and Shwartzman will continue in Formula 2 this year for DAMS and Prema respectively.
Leclerc, having finished his period of self-isolation in the wake of contracting Covid-19, will drive the SF17H on Tuesday before Sainz makes his debut on Wednesday.
Sainz will continue in the car on Thursday morning prior to reigning Formula 2 champion Schumacher taking over for the afternoon running.
Schumacher, who will race for Haas this year, will also drive on Friday morning.
Callum Ilott, appointed as Ferrari’s test driver for 2021, will round out proceedings on Friday afternoon.
Formula 1 pre-season testing, at which teams will run 2021-spec cars, is due to commence on March 12 in Bahrain.
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