The Paul Ricard circuit hosted two days of testing ahead of the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe season. For Robert Shwartzman, the experience in France marked the dawn of a new sporting journey. The Ferrari official driver clocked up valuable laps, getting to know the 296 GT3 of AF Corse, with which he will race in the Endurance Cup of the SRO-promoted series over the coming months. The 23-year-old, who will also be Scuderia Ferrari’s reserve driver in Formula 1 – alongside Antonio Giovinazzi – will make his official racing debut on 23 April in the first round at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
Impressions. “It was a positive test, allowing me to accumulate some good laps, helping me adapt to the car”, explained the young talent, who grew up in the Ferrari Driver Academy. The 296 GT3 is great fun to drive. Here at Le Castellet, we also tested it in race configuration, fitting new tyres and turning in some good times”. The data and information gathered are valuable ahead of the upcoming start of the season. “I think we will be competitive: our impressions during the tests point in this direction.
Closed wheels. Climbing into the cabin of a production-derived GT is a new experience for Shwartzman: “I love that you have front lights and so can flash the person in front of you on the track – continues the driver – a handy tool because it allows you to signal the other competitors when overtaking”. From single-seaters to GTs, the transition is both technical and full of variations and nuances. “The GT3 platform makes you think not as an individual driver, – continues the 23-year-old – but even more as a member of a team: in endurance racing, the teamwork and chemistry you create with your teammates are, without doubt, even more essential than in single-seaters. I asked Andrea Bertolini for some advice during the tests and harnessed my curiosity, which in every test allows me to learn something new about the car to get the most out of it in the race”.
Ambitions. The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup calendar includes five rounds on some of Europe’s most iconic tracks. Which stages does Shwartzman most look forward to? “The 24 Hours of Spa is a fantastic and fascinating event,” he says, “but the debut at Monza, in my first GT race with Ferrari, will also be special. I always aim to fight for victory. This will require hard work”.