Marcus Armstrong is no longer in the Ferrari Driver Academy

It's a decision that we could have feared given his recent performances. Marcus Armstrong, young pilot of F2, is no longer a member of the prestigious Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA). In a press release summarizing the young talents who will display the acronym of the Italian brand in their respective championships, Ferrari did not mention the 21-year-old Australian, although a member of the academy for many years, in its little papers for 2022 .

Due to his checkered results during his last two seasons in F2 with ART Grand Prix (13th in the championship), then Dams (also 13th, with only one victory), Marcus Armstrong is paying a high price. The 4 Italian F2017 champion will no longer be supported by the prancing horse brand next year, in the antechamber of the Formula 1. There will be no other place "Maranello driver in Formula 2 this year, as Marcus Armstrong's time at the Academy has come to an end", specifies only the official press release.

On the other hand, Ferrari can count on nine members in its ranks, seven young men for two women. In Formula 3, Arthur Leclerc, and the new member of the FDA, Oliver Bearman, will be associated within the prestigious Italian team Prema. In the lower categories will be Dino Beganovic (Regional Formula), Maya Weug, James Wharton and Rafael Camara (Italian F4) and Laura Camps Torras (Karting), the big winner of Girls on Track.

Mick Schumacher and Robert Schwartzman, still members of the Academy, are the two leading drivers of the FDA since they will still appear in Formula 1 in 2022, at Haas for the first mentioned, as a test driver at Ferrari for the second. Conversely, Callum Ilott will ride in Indycar this season, over the course of a year “sabbatical” far from Maranello.

“This year, seven young men and two young women will work towards their ultimate goal of racing in Formula 1, explains Mattia Binotto, boss of the Ferrari team. In 2022, 20% of the F1 starting grid will be made up of former and current FDA students. The dream for them and for us is to do as Charles Leclerc, who is about to begin his fourth season of racing for the Scuderia. I wish each of them the best of luck throughout the season, which I am sure they will approach with a willingness to learn and above all with a smile, because being a racing driver is the one of the most beautiful jobs in the world. »