Ferrari name new reserve and development drivers for 2024 season

Ferrari have announced that Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc will step up to respective reserve and development driver roles for the 2024 season, providing extra support to the F1 team.

Bearman will share the reserve role with former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman, ready to step in should either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz be unable to race.

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Leclerc, meanwhile, joins Antonio Fuoco and Davide Rigon in the development driver ranks, which includes working in the simulator, on car development, set-up work and updates.

After an impressive rookie season that saw him take four race wins, six podium finishes and place sixth in the championship standings, British driver Bearman will stay in F2 for a sophomore campaign with Prema Racing this year.

As for Leclerc, brother of Charles, the Monegasque will move from the single-seater category to the Italian GT championship, having recently left the Ferrari Driver Academy but stayed within the manufacturer’s overall set-up.

Both drivers are due to be in action for Ferrari this week, driving a 2022-specification F1-75, with the team conducting a three-day test for F1 tyre supplier Pirelli at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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Leclerc hit the track in an F1 car for the very first time on Monday (see the video clip above), while Bearman is scheduled to drive on Wednesday, following separate running for regular drivers Charles Leclerc and Sainz in the F1-75 and last year’s SF23.

Ferrari will launch their new F1 car in just over a fortnight’s time, with a presentation planned for February 13, shortly before pre-season testing begins in Bahrain.