Ferrari Vice-President Piero Ferrari said on Thursday that the famous car brand’s Formula One team was interested in Chinese drivers, two months after Scuderia Ferrari, the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque, reached an agreement with a Chinese sponsor.

On Thursday, the Italian automaker and Weichai Power, one of China’s leading manufacturers of heavy power train system and machinery vehicles, hosted a grand ceremony and news conference for the sponsorship agreement reached earlier this year.

The deal will expire at the end of the 2016 F1 season.

"Maybe. In the future, why not?” said Ferrari, replying a question from China Daily on whether his F1 team would recruit a Chinese driver.

"We are very interested in drivers from China,” he said, adding performance was the over-riding factor when evaluating talent. “You have to be really at the top of the best drivers in the world.”

Ma Qinghua became the first Chinese to race in F1 as he drove in his first F1 practice race last year with team HRT.

The 25-year-old Shanghai native will take to the track in practice laps for his new team Caterham on Friday in Shanghai.