Ferrari applauds the debut of Jules Bianchi
Thrown into the deep end of F1 by the Marussia team and supported by Ferrari, Jules Bianchi does not work in the shadows, and his performances are closely watched by the Scuderia, which today, through Luca Baldisserri, gives a positive appraisal.
Ten races after starting his career in the premier discipline behind the wheel of the Marussia MR02, replacing the short-lived Luiz Razia, rescuing the Frenchman in extremis after the disappointment of losing a Force India seat that many predicted for him, Jules Bianchi is now being judged by those who have invested heavily in him. A flagship of Ferrari’s young driver program, the progress of the Nice native is closely monitored.
Luca Baldisserri, head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, praises a successful start to a career with Marussia: Jules has transitioned to F1 without any problems. He has become the reference driver for the team, gaining their trust on the track. I consider this a fundamental progression, especially in Formula 1. As a reminder, the Anglo-Russian team’s driver was the vice-champion of Formula Renault 3.5 in 2012 and twice third in the GP2 championship in 2010 and 2011. Previously, in 2009, he committed to a long-term deal with Ferrari, becoming the first young talent of the Ferrari Young Drivers Academy.
Recently, we spent some time together in Maranello to assess the situation. We will continue to focus on stress management, an area in which he has already made significant progress, although there is always room for improvement, explains the Italian. Better stress management to handle a future seat with the Reds? That is the question as the future of Felipe Massa remains uncertain and Fernando Alonso’s, though more solid, seems to be facing some turbulence.
Aware of the limitations of the Frenchman’s car, L. Baldisserri hopes for constant progress for J. Bianchi within increasingly competitive teams: « Clearly, Jules is not currently in a situation where he can fight in the midfield, and in the future, it will be important to determine whether his presence in Formula 1 will have some continuity and, in that case, what the potential of his team could be. »
At Ferrari, Stefano Domenicali had already spoken a few weeks ago about the performances of Jules Bianchi since his integration in F1. He was already mentioning a future in red for the French driver: “I don’t know about next year but in the future, yes of course [Jules Bianchi will have his chance at Ferrari], I hope so since he’s part of our young drivers program,” explained the Scuderia Ferrari director in April.
