The Frenchman Jules Bianchi beats Sergio Pérez in tests for Ferrari
Invited to test drives of the 2009 Ferrari F60 by the Ferrari Driver Academy, of which they are both members, Jules Bianchi and Sergio Pérez were able to compete against each other, although no conclusions could be drawn from it.
As you may have read on MotorsInside, testing took place yesterday at the Fiorano circuit for the famous Ferrari Driver Academy. Two notable participants were competing against each other: Sergio Pérez, the promising official driver for the Sauber team this season, and Jules Bianchi, third in the GP2 championship, winner at Silverstone, and third driver for Scuderia Ferrari.
An opposition that appeared, to a certain number of observers, as a way to put the two men in competition for a possible F1 seat after Felipe Massa’s departure in 2013, even though it is far too early to consider this possibility. The Scuderia’s policy is rarely to trust an internal solution, generally favoring a driver from outside – why not a certain Sebastian Vettel who has never hidden his attraction to the red of Maranello.
This test, conducted at the wheel of an F60, the 2009 single-seater in which Kimi Räikkönen claimed the only victory of the season for the Prancing Horse, followed two days in a simulator for Bianchi and Pérez. After this full-scale driving day, the Frenchman completed 70 laps with a best time of 1:00.213, while the Mexican ran 46 laps with a fastest lap of 1:00.650. A confrontation that seemed to favor the Scuderia’s reserve driver, although the Ferrari Driver Academy was quick to temper these performances.
« We followed two different programs. Sergio made a strong impression, even though it was his first time behind the wheel of a Ferrari. He managed to be aggressive and fast right from the start and was able to adapt to the car in a short amount of time. He is very mature for his age, displaying an understanding that goes beyond the time he has spent in a cockpit driving, » indicated Luca Baldisserri, generous with compliments for the Sauber F1 driver.
It was a truly special day for me. I want to thank Ferrari for giving me this opportunity to improve and learn, given the limited number of tests during the season. Driving a Ferrari was a dream for me, and it’s also important for my career to learn with a team like this and experience a different approach to work, declared Sergio Pérez, still very moved after his first laps in red.
« With Bianchi, who has been with us since last year, we used a car equipped with special sensors to study the correlation between the car on the track and the simulator: many of his laps were what I could call “intermediate” because the main goal was to acquire data » added Baldisserri.
The young Frenchman seemed quite happy as he exited the F60: « We covered a lot of laps and, once again, it was a very useful experience for me. These laps will count a lot towards the future I would like to have in Formula 1 ». But he is primarily focusing on the end of the season and the young driver tests in Abu Dhabi where he will have the opportunity to drive an F150° Italia: « Now, I am looking forward to the “Young Driver Test” in Abu Dhabi, and it will be interesting to move from the 2009 car to the 2011 one because it will be a great opportunity for me to try elements like the DRS (Drag Reduction System) and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) for the very first time ».
