Antonio Giovinazzi

1. Who is Antonio Giovinazzi?

Antonio Giovinazzi is an Italian pilot, he was born on December 14, 1993 in Martina Franca. He is currently a Formula E driver for the Dragon Penske team.

2. Antonio Giovinazzi’s junior career

Antonio Giovinazzi began single-seater racing in 2012 in Asia in the Formula Pilota China championship. He easily won the title with 6 victories. He started serious things the following season with the European Formula 3 Championship within the Double R team. His double program with the British Formula 3 championship cost him energy and performance. This pushed him in 2014 to devote himself entirely to European Formula 3 with Carlin. He reached the podium several times and even won in Austria and at the Nürburgring. 

The following year, for his 3rd season in the category, Giovinazzi was powerless against the extreme consistency of champion Felix Rosenqvist, who scored 15 podiums in a row. The Italian finished 2nd and joined the antechamber of Formula 2016, the GP1 Series, in 2. After a very good start to the season, Antonio Giovinazzi positions himself as a favorite for the world crown. He ultimately failed 8 points behind his teammate Pierre Gasly.

Antonio Giovinazzi at Prema in GP2 (Photo: F2)

3. Antonio Giovinazzi’s F1 journey

In 2017, Antonio Giovinazzi was first a test driver for Ferrari but took advantage of Pascal Wehrlein's injury at Sauber to take part in his first two races in F1, in Australia, then in China. At the end of the season, he became a reserve driver at Haas and took part in six free practice sessions. Without a seat in 2018, he became a Formula E driver, but did not turn his back on his dream. 

Photo Diederik van der Laan / DPPI

On September 25, 2018, almost two years after his title of vice-champion in the GP2 Series, Sauber formalized the arrival of Giovinazzi as teammate of Kimi Räikkönen, to replace Marcus Ericsson. The Formula 1 team, based in Hinwil (Switzerland), now races under the name Alfa Romeo Racing. His 2019 Formula 1 season got off to a difficult start but the Italian scored his first points in Austria. He finished 9th at Monza, a very good result considering the average performance of his car and his team, Alfa Romeo. In Singapore, he led the Grand Prix before a slow puncture forced him to pit. During the end of the season, he made some progress to achieve, in a state of grace, an astonishing 5th place in Brazil.

Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

In 2020, Antonio Giovinazzi scores 4 points in the driver championship. Alfa Romeo Racing is sorely lacking in performance, which prevents the Italian driver and Kimi Räikkönen from fighting for the top 10. It is rather with the Haas and the Williams for 8th place in the constructors' world championship that the drivers are fighting. In 2021, the Italian is still lined up alongside his Finnish teammate at Alfa Romeo Racing. The results are, once again, bad: 13 points gleaned.

During the year, Alfa Romeo changed its drivers and announced the departure of Giovinazzi, after the announcement of Räikkönen's retirement. Between Giovinazzi and his team, it is the end of a story which lasted three seasons and 60 Grands Prix. Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas will drive the Alfa Romeo F1 Team in 2022. After three seasons, the results are mixed: 21 points. As soon as his adventure on the F1 grid ended, Giovinazzi joined the FE and a lower-ranked team: Dragon Penske. At the same time, he remains a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari.

Photo Alexandre Guillaumot / DPPI

4. AUTOhebdo’s opinion

At Alfa Romeo, the Italian driver has reached the end of the cycle. His driving is rather solid, he is rather constant but he does not impress. He was never a special driver, a seed for a world champion. With Giovinazzi, there is never anything that goes beyond and that is the whole problem with his profile. Finally, Alfa Romeo took the Guanyu Zhou bet. Will the Italian try his luck with endurance racing and Ferrari's Hypercar program?

5. Learn more about Antonio Giovinazzi: