Ferrari and Marussia are satisfied with the appointment of Jules Bianchi
If Ferrari is pleased to see Jules Bianchi finally have the opportunity to demonstrate his worth as a full-time driver, Marussia is delighted to have the Frenchman in their ranks and can now focus on their final tests and preparation for the upcoming season.
After the disappointment of seeing Force India choose Adrian Sutil over him, Jules Bianchi expressed his joy and his own surprise last night at being recruited by the Marussia team to replace Luiz Razia, who is facing financial difficulties. Although he wasn’t the first choice for the Anglo-Russian team, the French driver is nonetheless held in high regard by his new boss: “We are really delighted to welcome Jules Bianchi to the Marussia F1 Team,” said John Booth, team director at Banbury, in a statement. “Jules is a proven talent who is highly regarded in the paddock. He has followed a direct path to Formula 1 and has put in impressive performances in the various feeder series, especially during his 2012 season in Formula Renault 3.5, while also being a reserve driver at Force India. He is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and his pedigree put him on the radar of many teams over the winter as a driver ready to step up to Formula 1.”
Same sentiment at Ferrari where Luca Baldisserri, head of the Italian firm’s young driver program, is pleased with the Frenchman’s promotion: “We are delighted that Jules now has the opportunity to demonstrate his undeniable talent at the highest level of motorsports. To progress, it’s not enough to simply accumulate kilometers in testing or during Friday practice sessions at the Grand Prix. Everyone needs to face competition in races. We believe in his abilities and are convinced that he will be able to prove his worth, even in a championship as competitive as this one.”
While Sergio Pérez joined after being announced at Sauber in 2011, the Ferrari Driver Academy, founded in 2009, can finally congratulate itself for allowing one of its young drivers to compete in the premier category of motorsports. The role of the Scuderia seems to have been pivotal in the appointment of the French driver, although, for now, there is nothing to suggest that from 2014 onward, the Banbury team’s cars will be powered by the Italian V6. Indeed, similar to what Red Bull did by placing Daniel Ricciardo at HRT in 2011, Ferrari may well have only provided financial support.
If Marussia no longer hides being in search of a new engine partner to replace Cosworth at the end of the current season, this issue remains a thorny question as the Anglo-Russian team already has a partnership with Williams for the supply of KERS and shares the McLaren simulator. Partnerships that will already have an influence on the support provided by Ferrari to Jules Bianchi, as implied by Luca Baldisseri: « As far as we are concerned, we will continue to provide him with all our support, compatible with the needs of his new team. »
In any case, the Frenchman is now master of his destiny and will have to, starting today, put his shoulder to the wheel to acclimate to his new team, allowing Marussia to focus again on the sporting aspects after a turbulent week behind the scenes: « We can now focus on the remainder of the testing program and on preparing for what promises to be a promising season for the team. Jules can now expect a rapid initiation to the team over the next two days in Barcelona as he is expected to drive for a day and a half to allow our two drivers to run in the dry with the latest aerodynamic specifications, » explains John Booth.
