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Ferrari adds Russian talent Shwartzman to F1 young driver programme

Russian junior driver Robert Shwartzman has joined the Ferrari Formula 1 team's Driver Academy.

The Scuderia has snapped up the 18-year-old, who is a frontrunner in the Formula Renault Eurocup in his second year in the series.

Shwartzman, who is backed by SMP Racing, is the second recent addition to the Ferrari young driver programme after the Italian manufacturer signed Formula 3 driver Callum Ilott earlier this month.

"Developing as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy is a fantastic opportunity for myself to reach a new level," Shwartzman told Russian news agency TASS.

"I will do everything I can. And I'm sure that the results will already be evident in 2018."

A promising driver in his karting career, Shwartzman is currently in his third full-time campaign in single-seater racing.

He was third overall in Italian Formula 4 in 2015 and tackled a dual campaign in two-litre Formula Renault last year, finishing eighth in the Eurocup and sixth in the NEC series.

Shwartzman is fourth in the standings in his sophomore Eurocup season and has been tipped for a move to European F3 next year, having enjoyed a "very positive" test in one of Prema's Dallara-Mercedes F3 cars.

Zdroj: autosport.com