Posted on 14th January 2015
In an interview with the official Ferrari website today, Ferrari Test driver Jean-Eric Vergne says he “can’t wait†to work with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen after completing his first day at Ferrari.
Having been dropped by Toro Rosso at the end of the 2014 season, Vergne has been racing in Formula E and was hired by Ferrari in the role of test driver. Having spent his first working day at Maranello meeting team management and engineers, Vergne spent some time in the simulator (where the focus of his work and his role in the team will be) and says he is keen to make a contribution to help the race pairing of Vettel and Raikkonen. Vergne stated the following:-
'The first day as a Ferrari man is really something special. But already last night, I took a short trip around Maranello and I realised that this is a city that lives and breathes Ferrari. This year, I will be doing a lot of work in the simulator and this first introduction to it was very useful. I know Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen well and I can’t wait to work with them.'
As Vergne says in his interview today, working for the Ferrari team is something that is very special, given the history, prestige and the success that they have achieved since entering Formula One as a manufacturer in the 1950's. Vergne understands just what the Ferrari means to the city of Maranello (where the team's factory is) and also the high level of expectation that comes attached to him while associated with the team too.
As well as Vergne's role within the Ferrari team this season, he is hopeful of being able to see out the Formula E season racing for Andretti alongside his Ferrari commitments with Esteban Gutierrez named as reserve driver who will have to be present at every grand prix.
But Vergne's commitments racing in Formula E alongside his role with Ferrari behind the scenes at the factory focusing on simulation work, it will be a challenge for him but his role at Ferrari is a still a very important role and one that has to be taken seriously too.
Even though Vergne understands the role of the third driver, he feels that working all the hours in the simulator will provide him with a better sense of satisfaction and he can also use his experience within the sport to its best effects which is behind the scenes in the factory.
Vergne knows exactly what he has to do in his role with the team and he will be doing everything within his power to achieve the objectives set out by the Ferrari team, is open to the challenges that the role presents him with fully and also is looking forward to establishing a working relationship with two of the sport's fastest drivers who are Vettel and Raikkonen who I am sure he will benefit from their joint experiences in the sport that they have gathered so far in their careers.
In conclusion, you can see that Vergne is fully committed to his new role within the Ferrari team this season alongside his Formula E commitments to get the team back to the front of the grid once again and will be doing everything that he can to show what he can do and also get himself in a position to be considered for a race seat within the team for 2016 if that is possible; even though the chances for Vergne is at the moment looking very slim.
For me, there is no doubt that Vergne has been given an unbelievable opportunity with the Ferrari team and it is imperative that he fully grasps the opportunity to achieve not only Ferrari's aims but also his own aims for his career in motorsport. And you can bet that Vergne will be doing everything under his disposal to meet and surpass these aims as much as possible this season and show that he still has a lot to offer Formula One still; even if its in a race seat or not.
