American Driver Will Get First Formula One Experience in VF-16 July 12-13
Haas F1 Team, the first American-led Formula One team in 30 years, has tabbed its development driver, American Santino Ferrucci, to pilot its VF-16 racecar during the Formula One test July 12-13 at Silverstone Circuit following the British Grand Prix.Ferrucci is an 18-year-old from Woodbury, Connecticut, currently competing in the GP3 Series for DAMS, an accomplished racing team that has helped graduate numerous drivers to the FIA Formula One World Championship, including Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean.
“Becoming a Formula One driver is my ultimate goal and I can’t thank Haas F1 Team enough for this opportunity,” said Ferrucci, who began his career in karting, touring the United States and Europe at age 5. “Nothing beats seat time, and the experience of driving a Formula One car and working with Haas F1 Team will be invaluable.” Formula One rules state that two days of each in-season test must be allocated to young-driver training, which is classified as someone who has competed in two or fewer grands prix. Haas F1 Team drivers Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez participated in the first open test May 17-18 at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, making them ineligible for the Silverstone test.
“We brought Santino on with Haas F1 Team because he’s done a very good job of proving himself in each of the racing series he’s competed in,” said Guenther Steiner, team principal, Haas F1 Team. “We see Santino as a young, American driver with a lot of potential who has earned this opportunity.”
After scoring multiple karting championships, Ferrucci graduated to open-wheel racing in 2013, competing in Formula 2000 and the Skip Barber Racing Series. He won his Skip Barber Racing Series debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway and collected five victories, two poles and three fastest-lap awards upon the conclusion of the season. In Formula 2000, Ferrucci never finished outside of the top-four in the six races he started, with each field featuring 37 or more cars.
The 2014 season saw Ferrucci in British Formula 3. He won two races, both at Brands Hatch, becoming the youngest race winner in the history of British Formula 3 at 16 years, two months and 30 days.
Ferrucci continued to climb the open-wheel ladder in 2015, competing in the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Ferrucci finished third in the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand point standings on the strength of a win and five podiums. It was his first full season competing in an open-wheel championship, and the success led Ferrucci to the GP3 Series with DAMS.
Haas F1 Team debuted in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. It has scored 28 points so far this season, the most of any first-year team in this millennium.
