Vallelunga’s Piero Taruffi circuit was the scene of an
F1 test for the top three finishers in the Italian
Formula 3 Championship, organised by Scuderia Ferrari,
along with the ACI-CSAI. Under the supervision of the
head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Luca Baldisserri,
along with a team from Maranello’s F1 Clienti
department, the first to jump into the cockpit of an
F2008 this morning was the 21 year old Brazilian from
Porto Alegre, Cesar Ramos, who won the series. He was
followed by second placed Stephane Richelmi, the twenty
year old from Monaco and then another twenty year old,
Andrea Caldarelli, from Abruzzo in Italy, who came third
in the championship.
The Vallelunga test was
the third time the top three in the Italian Formula 3
Championship have got their hands on an F1 car, after
the 2008 session at Fiorano and another at Jerez in
2009, all part of the effort and attention that Scuderia
Ferrari expends in support of up and coming young
drivers.
The drivers had plenty to say at the end of their
exciting day. “Taking to the track in a Ferrari Formula
1 car was an incredible experience, better than anything
I expected,” commented Cesar Ramos. “I tried to enjoy it
as much as possible, because it really was a dream come
true. During the session I was guided by a group of
professionals who made me feel perfectly at ease and
that contributed to making it an unforgettable
experience.”
Stephane Richelmi underlined the huge difference between
this and a Formula 3 car. “I realised that driving a
Formula One car is hard work, which requires a lot of
training and careful preparation and I am proud to have
been given this opportunity.”
Equally enthusiastic was Italy’s Andrea Caldarelli, the
last to get behind the wheel. “Driving a Ferrari is the
dream of every driver. I tried not to feel awestruck by
the occasion so as not to waste a single moment. It has
been a day I will never forget.”
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