Robert Shwartzman is heading into the final race of his debut season in the World Endurance Championship.
The Israeli driver is racing in the Hypercar class of WEC in 2024, driving the satellite No. 83 AF Corse 499P Ferrari.
Formerly a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Shwartzman has served as the team’s test and reserve driver in Formula 1 since 2022 and has taken part in numerous free practice sessions.
Snubbed of a full-time seat from the likes of Haas and Sauber, the 25-year-old remained with Ferrari as he moved to endurance racing. Shwartzman competed in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in 2023 and finished eighth in the standings with co-drivers Nicolas Neilsen and Alessio Rovera; the best of the 296 GT3’s.
For 2024, Shwartzman moved to WEC to drive alongside Robert Kubica and Yifei Yei in the No. 83 499P, whilst remaining as Ferrari’s F1 reserve driver.
Robert Shwartzman shares how a Hypercar can be ‘more fun to drive’ than an F1 car
Scoring points in the opening three races, the No. 83 bright yellow AF Corse retired from the 24 Hours of Le Mans, before finishing outside the points at Sao Paulo.
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But at Lone Star Le Mans, Kubica, Shwartzman and Yei grabbed their first win of the season by 1.7 seconds over the No. 7 Toyota. The result was followed by another non-points finish at Fuji.
The trio are currently sat ninth in the standings with 51 points, behind both the factory AF Corse cars. Speaking with Motorsport Week, Shwartzman shared his experiences in WEC and explained how a Hypercar can be ‘more fun’ than an F1 car.
“Both cars are fun to drive in their own way,” he said.
“I think the Hypercar is more fun to drive in terms of allowing you to drive harsher on curbs, you can attack a bit differently the corners and generally in the fighting you know that the car is much stronger.
“Let’s say it’s a very strong car so if you have some hits and bumps, because I had some moments with other drivers, and it’s very resistant as a car and F1 is obviously completely different.
“In F1, the thing is more of a unique feeling of how fast it can go. The g-forces [gravitational forces] like the downforce it can generate.
“In terms of racing, obviously it’s much more fun than Hypercar in terms of battling and fighting because you can have proper close moments with some drivers without losing a race.
“In Formula 1, obviously any contact will destroy your race. So in F1, it’s more fun on the one-lap pace. But yeah, obviously both of them are very nice to drive in their own way.”
Porsche lead both championships heading into the final race of 2024
Heading into the final race of the season for the Eight Hours of Bahrain, the No. 6 Porsche of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor have all but secured the drivers’ championship.
With the trio holding a 35-point lead and 39 points up for grabs, it will take a complete disaster for them to lose the championship in Bahrain.
READ MORE: What Daniil Kvyat is ‘not expecting’ from Lamborghini in Bahrain despite WEC first
Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicolas Nielsen are battling for second for Ferrari with Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, with two points separating them.
Porsche lead Toyota by just 10 points in the Manufacturers’ Championship, with Ferrari 17 points behind the Japanese outfit in third. With the Italian team likely too far back, it will be a tight affair between the two top for the title.