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

Sainz insists its time for F1 to ‘take a hard look at itself’

Carlos Sainz believes it is time for Formula 1 to take a hard look at…

1 hour ago

Stella admits to Sepang strategy blunder: ‘A single miscalculation’

For McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix was a harsh reminder…

3 hours ago

Antonelli reveals what racing Verstappen taught him at Sepang

F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli walked away from last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia…

4 hours ago

Mansell's finally breaks his duck after 72-race run

It was a long time coming - 72 races to be exact - but on…

5 hours ago

Alonso reportedly set for sensational Dakar return in 2027

Fernando Alonso isn’t one to settle for a quiet off-season. Just when paddock observers thought…

6 hours ago

Valtteri Bottas opts for extreme cycle commute to Singapore!

Most F1 drivers handle double-header travel days by slipping into air-conditioned transfer vans, boarding a…

7 hours ago