F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Ferrari keeps Wehrlein in simulator role for 2020

Ferrari has retained Mahindra Formula E charger Pascal Wehrlein as its development and simulator driver for the 2020 season.

Wehrlein will handle the Scuderia's simulator work for the second year running, dovetailing his duties with his Formula E commitments.

Formula 1's restrictions on in-season testing has justified big investments from the sport's teams in simulator infrastructure, with outfits using dedicated drivers on race weekends to contribute to their team's set-up and development work.

"We still have experienced drivers for [2020] in the simulator," said Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto.

"So Pascal is staying with us [in 2020] but we’ve got as well other drivers who maybe are not so much experienced in Formula 1, but have done many years of simulator.

"Our simulator drivers are very well integrated in the team. The simulator is more and more important, that’s why we will invest on the simulator in the future."

The House of Maranello, thanks to the good results of its road car division, has invested heavily in an upgrade of its virtual equipment, underscoring its increasing importance.

"We're prepared to invest, and luckily the car business can support those investments, not only in terms of people, but also in terms of infrastructure," said Ferrari chief executive Louis Camilleri.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Ferrari pays its respects to the American people

Five days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks that had taken place in the US in…

2 hours ago

Formula 1 unveils 2027 calendar, and Monaco GP Sprint event

Formula 1 has officially unveiled its 24-race calendar for the 2027 season, headlined by a…

3 hours ago

Colapinto: Madrid ‘probably my best race weekend’ in F1

Franco Colapinto reckons that his Spanish Grand Prix weekend was his best race weekend yet…

4 hours ago

Wolff backs FIA push to give Honda a helping hand

Toto Wolff has thrown his weight behind Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s efforts to keep Fernando Alonso…

5 hours ago

Piastri salvages silver ling despite Madrid misery

Spain was supposed to be a weekend of consolidation for McLaren, but for Oscar Piastri,…

21 hours ago

Audi junior Slater lands 2027 F2 seat with powerhouse Invicta

Freddie Slater’s rapid rise through the junior ranks is taking another significant step forward, with…

22 hours ago