Fenestraz confirms Ferrari F1 test. The former Mercedes simulator driver has a Maranello date. His team switch now leads to track time.
Sacha Fenestraz says Ferrari has confirmed a Formula 1 test for him in 2027, following his summer move from Mercedes. The French-Argentine driver spent three seasons working in Mercedes’ simulator and development operation at Brackley before joining Ferrari in July. His new role still centres on simulator work, but it carries a major addition: the chance to drive an F1 car. Fenestraz says the outing has been agreed, although the date remains unsettled. The prospect gives the former Mercedes development driver a direct route from virtual laps to real-world seat time.
Speaking to Grande Premio during Singapore race week, Fenestraz described the move as a dream opportunity and said his responsibilities resemble his previous work at Brackley. He also explained that his first planned chance to drive fell through because it clashed with a Super GT race at Autopolis. That delay has not changed the plan: Ferrari has told him he will get behind the wheel, with the running intended to sharpen the feedback he brings back to the simulator. For more paddock developments, follow the latest Singapore F1 updates from LAS Motorsport.
Ferrari test plan: what Fenestraz’s 2027 run means
The outing is expected to fall under Testing of Previous Cars rules, which allow teams to run older machinery away from championship events. That distinction matters: Fenestraz would gain genuine F1 driving experience without using Ferrari’s current race car or its latest development hardware. Ferrari has not publicly detailed the session’s format, so the precise car and timing remain unconfirmed.
Fenestraz says simulator drivers need real-car mileage to improve the quality of their work. A simulator can reproduce braking points, balance changes and energy management, but it cannot fully reproduce the physical forces or the feedback through the steering wheel. Track time gives him a better reference point when he returns to Maranello’s simulator, making his contribution to Ferrari’s preparation more informed. The 2027 F1 test is therefore a working tool, not a ceremonial reward.
Mercedes-to-Ferrari switch brings a different racing brief
Fenestraz’s move also links two rival F1 operations through the people who feed their engineering departments. His three years at Mercedes gave him experience in a well-established simulator programme; at Ferrari, he now applies similar skills inside a team with a distinct car, workflow and development rhythm. The change is less about abandoning his old role than learning a new technical language.
His racing background adds another layer. Fenestraz has competed in Super Formula, Super GT and Formula E, so the simulator is only one strand of a career spent across different machinery and formats. That breadth can help him interpret how a car behaves beyond the data screen, while his F1 work gives Ferrari a driver already familiar with high-level development demands. The team switch has expanded his profile in motorsport, even before his first Ferrari track session.
What the Ferrari F1 test could change for Fenestraz
Ferrari has yet to announce whether the run will be formally classed as a TPC outing or organised through another test format. Fenestraz, however, says the team has confirmed that he will drive next year and that simulator drivers are expected to gain experience in a previous-generation car. The distinction is administrative; the practical target is clear: arrive better equipped to connect virtual performance with what a driver feels on track.
There is no immediate race seat attached to the agreement, and Ferrari has made no suggestion that this is a step towards a Grand Prix promotion. Still, a confirmed F1 test gives a development driver useful exposure to the car, the engineers and the demands of a full-size Formula 1 cockpit. As the driver transfer settles in, Fenestraz’s first laps in red will offer a sharper measure of how his simulator work translates to racing reality. That is the payoff Ferrari is chasing from the test.
Ferrari’s wider challenge remains converting technical input into results on Sundays, particularly as scrutiny follows the team’s strategy calls. LAS Motorsport has tracked those pressures in its report on Ferrari’s approach with Lewis Hamilton. Fenestraz’s assignment sits further back from the spotlight, but it belongs to the same performance chain: stronger simulator feedback, better preparation and more useful data for the team at Maranello—sometimes misspelled “Maranelo” in search queries.
