Not all Formula One cars are sleeping in the current off season with Ferrari firing up one of their cars to allow new test driver, Antonio Giovinazzi a chance to try out the famous Italian machinery.
The Fiorano circuit provided the backdrop for the young Italian's track debut with the Maranello based squad when he got behind the wheel of an SF15-T.
Antonio has come onboard at Scuderia Ferrari as its third driver for the 2017 racing season, and on Thursday he ran a test programme, approved by the FIA, aimed at making a comparison between data acquired in the simulator and on track.
โIt was a wonderful feeling, as this was my first time driving a Formula 1 car,โ he said at the end of the day. โFor an Italian, driving out of the pits in a Ferrari is an amazing experience. The actual testing was very interesting, with so many procedures to follow. But the guys in the team were very nice to me and extremely helpful and that made everything much easier. I'd like to thank the whole team.โ
As permitted within the rules relating to off-season testing, the 2015 car will be running again today.