RICHARD LANE
Testing, testing
De Simone (left) leads a team of 400 test drivers at Ferrari
So you want to be a Ferrari test driver, eh? The good news, says the man who would be making this irresistible job offer, is that you have longer than you perhaps thought: Raffaele de Simone’s recruiting cut-off is 40 years old. But note that it could then take you a decade to join the programme for something serious like the 296 Speciale (see p24).
Ferrari’s chief test driver since 2014, who I was lucky enough to have dinner with on the Speciale launch, started earlier than most. He was just 19 and still an engineering student when he joined Dario Benuzzi’s team. His first project? The Enzo.
I know – hard to believe. However, events were put in motion during a race weekend at Misano. It was the first semi-public outing for an Enzo prototype, with Benuzzi at the wheel and Piero Ferrari riding shotgun. Benuzzi, if you need reminding, had signed off the dynamics of every Ferrari since the Dino and is still Maranello’s most celebrated test driver (although, given the recent run of stellar models, de Simone is certain to inherit that status). This was back in 2001. De Simone was sitting on the grid, transfixed by this wild pre-Enzo through his visor when he should have been zoning in for a race start. It was a powerful moment that left “a permanent image”. Later that day, de Simone managed to take down Benuzzi’s phone number while both their cars were stuck in traffic leaving the circuit. Talk about sliding doors. Then came an interview and the offer of a full-time salary, although Ferrari would also allow him time to finish his degree. All he needed to do was give up on a career in top-tier GT racing. Not an easy decision, especially when the sponsorship was in place, but the opportunity at Ferrari was too sweet.