Ferrari Driver Academy head: 'This season will be demanding'

The Ferrari Driver Academy announced its new line-up for 2023 yesterday. It consists of eight drivers.

The most significant name in the line-up remains that of Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Charles Leclerc, who starts in Formula 2 for the first time this year. He makes his debut in this class alongside Britain's Oliver Bearman.

"The start of a new academic year is always a very special moment. It’s good to meet up again with our existing students and even more special to open the doors to our new ones. It’s going to be a particularly demanding season because seven of the eight of them will be rookies in their category and so they face an even tougher challenge," said FDA head Marco Matassa in a statement on Formula1.com.

Two women as part of line-up

The new names at the FDA are Tuukka Taponen and female Aurelia Nobels. Both will compete in Formula 4. Dutch Maya Weug, who in 2021 became the first female driver ever at the Ferrari Driver Academy, is also part of this year's line-up.

Whether the current line-up of the prestigious academy will produce successful F1 drivers in the future remains to be seen. For recent F2 talents Robert Shwartzman and Callum Illott, both FDA alumni, the F1 dream fell through. Mick Schumacher did still get his chance at Haas, but is no longer part of the grid either. The only one who really stands out at the moment is Charles Leclerc, who was able to put up a serious fight with Max Verstappen last season, but even for him winning an F1 world Championship still seems a long way off.