Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, McLaren, Aston Martin, and Alpine. Nearly all F1 teams now have their own program to prepare drivers for the pinnacle of motorsport by nurturing rough diamonds through the lower formulae.
With current F1 drivers Oliver Bearman and Charles Leclerc as its “graduates,” the academy has already enjoyed some success—so the question is, how do they do it?
“If you think about it, it actually makes perfect sense. It’s very logical to invest early in young drivers,” says Gené. “That way you can shape them into a driver with all the attributes he needs. It’s truly a 360-degree program.
Why Ferrari invests in young drivers
Charles Leclerc is the ultimate example of the Ferrari program – Photo: RacePictures
“Of course, speed is the first thing you look at, but these days speed alone is no longer the only key to success in Formula 1. Without pure speed, however, it’s very difficult.”
“As Ferrari, we were among the first with a development program. You can then work on the mental aspect of a driver. Formula 1, and motorsport in general, is a mental sport. We spend a lot of time training a driver’s mental side. We discuss health risks, we talk about nutrition, we cover physical training and the mental aspect.”
“We also have educational models with our engineers. In that period we can really see whether he is Formula 1 material or not. You try to map out whether he’s good in all areas. Where he isn’t, we train it.”
“For us, Charles is of course the best example—and Oliver now as well. We know exactly how good they are and believe they can become even better. We work on those weaker areas from a very young age.”
Why the Ferrari Academy is cheaper than buying a superstar
According to Marc Gené, Oliver Bearman should end up at Ferrari – Photo: RacePictures
“I think many Formula 1 teams have now realized that this is a very efficient approach. It’s an investment, it costs money, but it (a development program) will always be cheaper than investing in an experienced driver. So it’s very logical to do this.”
Asked what Ferrari’s support looks like once drivers make it to F1, Gené says: “Naturally, it becomes less and less. Formula 1 teams themselves have all the people we have in the academy. They have a mental coach, they have physical training. The teams don’t need our help in that area.”
“We still regularly speak with Oli, about how things are going and whether there are areas where we can help. But once in Formula 1, we’re still there—just increasingly less.”
“We have one person tracking how Oli is doing, because the goal of the program is of course not simply to produce Formula 1 drivers. The aim is F1 drivers for Scuderia Ferrari. Our goal is not to produce F1 drivers in general. With Oli, the goal hasn’t been achieved yet. That will only be the case if he hopefully comes to Ferrari. That’s the goal of the Driver Academy.”