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

Miami GP: Saturday's action in pictures

Another qualifying session, another pole position for Max Verstappen. In Miami, the Red Bull charger…

2 hours ago

Russell: Mercedes has ‘overcompensated’ for 2023 car’s issues

George Russell believes that Mercedes’ struggles this season are rooted in the team “overcompensating” for…

2 hours ago

Leclerc 'on the limit' in quali but couldn't catch Verstappen

Charles Leclerc insisted that he was driving right on the limit in Saturday's qualifying session…

2 hours ago

Verstappen still struggling to find consistency in Miami

It might look to others that it's been plain sailing for Max Verstappen this weekend…

3 hours ago

Hamilton saw 'glimpse of hope' in Q2, but tyres thwarted Q3 effort

Lewis Hamilton noted his progress in Saturday’s afternoon’s Miami Grand Prix qualifying, having reached contrary…

3 hours ago

Miami GP: Verstappen back on pole again ahead of Leclerc

Max Verstappen will start from pole position for the second time this weekend, after calmly…

4 hours ago