F1 fans amazed by what Robert Shwartzman did for Sauber in Dutch GP practice

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Robert Shwartzman participated in the first practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and performed admirably.

Shwartzman replaced Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas at Sauber, the team that will transform into Audi in 2026, at the start of the first Grand Prix weekend after the summer break.

It was the Israeli driver’s fifth participation in an FP1 session after four outings for Ferrari over the past couple of seasons.

The Sauber driver set the 14th quickest time of the session, slightly slower than two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.

His teammate Zhou Guanyu broke into the top 10, setting the 10th quickest time, 1.643 seconds behind Lando Norris who set the pace.

The opening practice session of the weekend in the Netherlands was a disrupted hour of running with heavy rain in the opening stages before the track dried up.

Multiple drivers made mistakes, including the reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who spun on the intermediate tyre.

The team boss, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, put massive faith in Shwartzman under challenging conditions and on a circuit, he drove the Ferrari F1 car last year.

Alongside his commitments in Formula 1, he has been racing in the World Endurance Championship for Ferrari in the Hypercar class and finished fourth in the Qatar 1812km.

F1 fans impressed by Robert Shwartzman’s pace on the intermediate tyre

Shwartzman was near the top of the order on the intermediate tyres as he set the third-quickest time behind Norris and George Russell. This turn of speed caught the attention of some fans watching the practice session, including @FormulaStoo.

@SziIlar was so impressed by Shwartzman’s driving over the one-hour session they said Shwartzman should be racing in F1. @qx_cl16 was surprised to see the 24-year-old near the front of the field in a car that has lacked raw speed.

@nandolloris reacted similarly and asked how Shwartzman had moved up to third place in the Sauber C44. The Sauber driver was ahead of Verstappen, which caught the attention of @SW3ETCRE4TUR3.

Robert Shwartzman is unlikely to get a seat in Formula 1

Despite his good, consistent performances during the first session of the weekend at Zandvoort, they are unlikely to reward him with a seat in F1 for next season.

The Israeli driver is now committed to a career in the WEC with Ferrari and competing in the Hypercar class.

He also hasn’t raced in a full season of single-seaters since the 2021 campaign where he finished second in Formula 2.