Ilott not on Haas driver shortlist for 2021 - at the moment

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed Callum Ilott is not currently on his shortlist of drivers for a potential 2021 Formula 1 seat.

Ferrari academy driver and current Formula 2 title-chaser Ilott will make his F1 debut on Friday when he replaces Romain Grosjean for Haas in first practice ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

Yet the 21-year-old Briton is not in Steiner's thinking at present with regard to making the full-time step up into F1 next season, although he could yet become a contender.

Asked whether he was on the shortlist that Steiner recently declared contained "close to 10" drivers, he replied: "Not at the moment.

"I don't think tomorrow is about him getting on there. For tomorrow it's about trying to get something out of it to see how he works.

"He's a Ferrari driver, and I don't know the plans they have with him in the future."

As to why Ilott is not currently a candidate, Steiner added: "We cannot decide on a single FP1. To get him in the car, that would be a little challenging for me.

'He's not on the list because he's a Ferrari driver. I don't know what they are doing for him, what they have planned for him, so at the moment he's not on the list.

"I've a lot of respect for him because he's second in the F2 championship, which means he's pretty good. He's not on the list now, maybe he's on the list tomorrow. I don't know yet, but it will not depend on the FP1 result.

"If he does one thing that he shouldn't be doing, like if he crashes the car, then for sure he's not on the list any more.

"The most impressive thing he can do is not do anything stupid."

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