For the second time in 2015, Sauber F1 Team reserve driver Raffaele Marciello will participate in the opening free practice session of the weekend, this time at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
The Italian, part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will take over the car that will be driven by Swede Marcus Ericsson on Friday morning, before turning his attention to his GP2 Series responsibilities with Trident Racing for the rest of the weekend.
Marciello will also participate in the post-Spanish Grand Prix test at the circuit on Wednesday, with Ericsson driving on day one on Tuesday, with the Italian driver delighted to have more opportunities to drive a Formula 1 car.
“Overall, it will be a busy weekend for me,” insisted Marciello. “Besides my duties in the GP2 Series, I will be back in the Sauber C34-Ferrari on Friday for FP1.
“I am really looking forward to it. I enjoy driving on this track, as it consists of fast as well as slow-speed corners. It is important being consistent over a lap, because if you push too much in the first sector, which has some fast corners, the last sector with slow-speed corners could be challenging as the tyres could overheat.
“My favourite part of the track is the left-right-right combination, turns seven, eight and nine in sector two, which is quite fast. In general I like high-speed corners, and also turn three is nice to drive.
“After the race weekend, I will have the opportunity to drive the Sauber C34-Ferrari on the second day of in-season testing in Barcelona. I am looking forward to testing the car for one whole day during which I am able to collect some mileage.”
