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Mirko Bortolotti (top) is one of three young drivers to join Ferrari's new driver academy which has also signed an agreement with the new Formula Fiat in Brazil (middle). Meanwhile the competitors in the Ferrari Challenge this year have hit the track testing at Monza (bottom).

The newly-formed Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) is taking its first steps and and widening its group of participants. As of today there are three more young talents taking part in the project by the manufacturer from Maranello, joining Jules Bianchi: Mirko Bortolotti, Daniel Zampieri and Raffaele Marciello.

Both Bortolotti and Zampier have previously won the Italian Formula 3 Championship, the former in 2008 while the latter claimed the title last year. These successes enabled them to drive a Ferrari Formula 1 single-seater during the testing that the Scuderia has been organising, in collaboration with ACI-CSAI, over the last two years for the first three in the national racing series’ classification. 15-year-old Marciello impressed during last years international kart championship and he will debut in 2010 in a single-seater, racing this year in Formula Abarth with the JD Motorsport team.

The other three drivers will participate on the international stage this year in 'ladder' formulae: Bianchi will race in the GP2 series with ART Grand Prix, Bortolotti in GP3 with the Addax team, while Zampieri will participate in the World Series 3.5 with Pons Racing.

Meanwhile an agreement with the organisers of Formula Future Fiat, the new Brazilian racing series set to kick off this year under the patronage of Felipe Massa, has been signed. The series will start on 25 April in Interlagos during the Racing Festival, with the Trofeo Linea and the 600 Supersport, a motorbike competition. Formula Future Fiat will be held with Signatech cars fitted with engines from Fiat Powertrain with 150 bhp involving young kart drivers who are at least 16 years old, and who want to try their hand at the wheel of a single-seater. The winner of this series’ first edition will participate in the 2011 Ferrari Driver Academy.

The tests dedicated to the participants in the Italian and European Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli just ended at the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza: 22 cars went onto the track for this special day of testing, enabling the drivers of some in the single-marque's racing series participating teams to gain confidence with the F430 Challenge after the long winter break. On the occasion of the first race on the 2010 calendar, held in Monza on 28 March, the two divisions in the single-marque Championship, will be joined by the first Superstars GT Sprint series' race with F430 GT2s. During the weekend with the participants in the Trofeo Pirelli and the gentlemen drivers from the Coppa Shell, Ferrari clients will have the possibility to go onto the track for some free practice sessions, while admiring the spectacular show offered by the intense racing programme.