The FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy) Scouting programme is underway with two events to select participants for the FDA Scouting World Finals, which take place in Maranello in October. There, the most promising youngsters will go head to head in a series of on and off-track activities, hoping to secure a place in Ferrari’s young driver programme. Since 2020, the FDA has strengthened its search and selection operation globally. A unique feature of the Maranello Academy in the world of motorsport is that it calls on the contribution of local scouting partners to find the best youngsters, wherever they are in the world.
From Italy to Malaysia. Last Thursday, the second Scouting Camp of the season came to an end, organised with ACI Sport. As was the case back in July, four youngsters got behind the wheel of a Formula 4 car fitted with Pirelli tyres at Ferrari’s historic Fiorano track. Over the two camps, four Italians, put forward by ACI Sport, and four of other nationalities chosen by the FDA along with its karting scouts from the famous Tony Kart brand, were evaluated, to see if any of them should go forward to the Scouting World Finals. This weekend, a selection event takes place at the Sepang circuit which hosted 19 editions of the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix. It is organised by Motorsport Australia, the FDA’s scouting partner for the Asia-Pacific region and will see 24 youngsters from various countries take to the track. After an initial assessment, a second phase will see just the six best trying out for a place in the Finals.
Then Mexico. There will be a further selection event in Mexico on 27 September at the Puebla circuit, organised in collaboration with Escuderia Telmex, the FDA’s scouting partner for Latin America and Mexico. Here too, a group of promising youngsters will take to the track in a Formula 4 car. The best two will be invited to Maranello in less than a month’s time, to try for a place at the Academy. May the best one win!
Marco Matassa, Head of Ferrari Driver Academy
We are very grateful to Motorsport Australia and Escuderia Telmex for organising the events in Sepang and Puebla. The network of scouting partners we have established, including ACI Sport and Tony Kart has already produced two Academy students, James Wharton and Rafael Camara, very young guys who have come a very long way thanks purely to their great talent.
The events in Malaysia and Mexico help us in our mission to make motorsport ever more accessible and inclusive and has allowed us to increase our ability to choose the most deserving youngsters. I wish all the candidates taking part in these two events the best of luck and I look forward to meeting the best of them in Maranello at the FDA Scouting World Finals in less than a month’s time.