Robert Shwartzman will hopefully be seen racing in 2023 for the first-time since 2021, following a difficult year.
The 2021 Formula 2 runner-up spent the first half of 2022 changing his racing licence from Russian to Israeli, following the recent conflict in Eastern Europe and the rules on Russian drivers put in place by the FIA.
Having been born in Israel, Shwartzman was able to obtain an Israeli racing licence, which he will use in 2023.
For 2022, Shwartzman remained behind-the-scenes as Ferrari’s reserve and development driver, which involved working on the F1-75.
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Shwartzman drove for the team twice during the season, after completing FP1 at the United States and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He was also used by Ferrari in the post-season rookie test, with the Maranello-based team continuing to view the driver very highly.
Whilst he hasn’t got a place on the F1 grid for next season, Shwartzman has revealed that he’s “received several offers” for next season, meaning one of the most exciting young drivers in motorsport will hopefully be seen more often in 2023.
“I have several options. I have received several offers,” he told Italy’s Autosprint.
“So let’s see how things go.
“My goal not is to be able to race as much as possible. At the same time, I don’t want to lose touch with the Formula 1 paddock.
“Formula 1 is my dream so I want to stay as a reserve, maybe continue to help with the development of the car behind the scenes, which is very interesting.
“But, I repeat, now the goal is to race in another championship,” the 23-year-old added.
Shwartzman raced in F2 with the support of the Ferrari Driver Academy, which he remains an integral part of.
The Russian-Israeli driver delved into his 2021 F2 campaign and why he ultimately lost out to McLaren’s newest signing, Oscar Piastri, with the title having done “a lot” for Shwartzman if he’d claimed it.
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“Of course the title would have helped me a lot, but for some reason we were not able to put everything together while Piastri had a perfect season,” he said.
“Yes, second place, and behind a rookie, did not help. But you can’t say that I was uncompetitive – just too many things went wrong at decisive moments. You need to learn this lesson.
“However, now I prefer to focus on my present and future.”