Evolution is the name of the game, and Ferrari have followed it particularly well. The cat’s out of the bag, and two of the Scuderia’s academy drivers will receive their F1 free practice debuts next Friday at Nurburgring.

Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott will be driving the Alfa Romeo and Haas cars, respectively. And the runout at Nurburgring is only the next natural step in their development.

The two drivers will be knocking on the doors of some of these F1 teams next season. The tests are thus a gateway to exploring these options and possibly recruiting one of them for 2021.

Ferrari emphasize on managing the drivers’ long-term futures

The better these drivers perform, the more their chances in F1 increase. And beckoning this very thought is Ferrari’s Sporting Director, Laurent Mekies.

Speaking in an interview, he said, “It’s not a headache, it’s a good problem to have. And that’s the sort of thing we want to deal with. The guys are doing a very good job. Mick and Callum are progressing significantly from last year, and they are solid leaders of the championship.

“Of course, we’re conscious that having three guys potentially getting to the right spot at nearly the same time, is not always possible to do.”

Both Schumacher and Ilott have been in great form in this season’s F2 competition. The former leads the Championship with 191 points, while the latter closely follows Mick in second with 169 points.

But sometimes, just talent does not translate into immediate development up the ranks. Mekies cited the example of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, for this very reason. With patience and hard work, the onus is then on these youngsters to convert those opportunities.

Young drivers will face competition for seats

What complicates the entry of both Ilott and Schumacher to F1 are the existing experienced options. Both Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg have been touted as names to watch out for.

Haas are currently undecided on their driver pairing for 2021, while Alfa Romeo might confirm Kimi Raikkonen for another year.

While the driver carousel is on, these academy talents will look to make the most of their limited chances. And whatever the outcome may be, the idea at the Ferrari Academy will continue to be stability, learning and development.