Frederic Vasseur admits treatment of 30-year-old driver in 2023 was ‘a bit stupid’

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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur admits the way the team treated reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi during the 2023 season was ‘a bit stupid’.

The role of the reserve driver has come into sharp focus in the last week after the magnificent debut of Oliver Bearman.

Speaking to Autosport, Vasseur suggested that the 30-year-old wasn’t going to be required as often as he was last year.

Vasseur admits Giovinazzi’s treatment in 2023 was ‘a bit stupid’

The role of a reserve driver is never easy in Formula 1 as you have to be prepared for any situation at a moment’s notice.

Bearman was given just a single practice session before being thrown into the car before qualifying in Saudi Arabia.

He performed admirably and scored six important points for the team when Carlos Sainz was unavailable.

Bearman is one of three test drivers available to Ferrari this year, including Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman.

Some reserves – such as Jack Doohan – don’t race in other series alongside their duties with the F1 team, however, that’s not the case with Ferrari.

Bearman is part of the F2 series and is in Melbourne this weekend for both his own racing series and in case he’s required once again.

Shwartzman – who can’t be counted out when it comes to earning an F1 seat one day – is racing in WEC this season with Robert Kubica.

However, Vasseur doesn’t want to call on Giovinazzi as much as he did in 2023 as competes against Shwartzman in WEC this year, albeit in a different category.

Giovinazzi one of F1’s most experienced reserve drivers

Speaking about the situation last year, Vasseur said: “I made the decision in winter because I found it a bit stupid last year to ask Antonio [Giovinazzi] to do 22 or even 24 races when he also had the LMH program.

“The Hypercar is quite important for us, a big challenge and I didn’t want Antonio and Shwartzman will travel with us the week after a race, as Qatar was for them.

“That’s why we decided that when Ollie [Bearman] is with us, he will be our reserve driver.

“In the races where he is not travelling, he will work in the simulator.

“It is a good sign for him and in Melbourne and Imola he will be able to concentrate again on the project of Formula 2, which is the most important thing for him at the moment.”

Giovinazzi has 62 F1 races to his name and last raced for Alfa Romeo back in 2021.

He’s been a test driver for Ferrari ever since 2017 and in two years ago he was officially a reserve driver for Haas and Alfa Romeo too.

Vasseur doesn’t want a repeat of 2023 where Giovinazzi is following the team around alongside his other commitments and will be confident that Bearman is good enough to step up whenever required.

That’s not going to earn him a permanent spot on the grid with the team any time soon but hasn’t done his chance of driving for Haas in 2025 any harm.