In the game of Formula 1 musical chairs, Antonio Giovinazzi was the last driver standing as he narrowly missed out on the Alfa Romeo Sauber drive, but he has secured FP1 sessions while continuing as Ferrari reserve in 2018 and is adamant that a full-time drive is still the goal for him.
In an interview with Radio Sportiva, Giovinazzi said, “Obviously I was close to Alfa Romeo and it was the best opportunity, but clearly Sauber made a different choice.”
Sauber opted to hang on to Marcus Ericsson with Ferrari backed young driver Charles Leclerc securing the second seat with the revamped Swiss team.
Giovinazzi is set for a number of FP1 outings during the course of next season, “I will not give up. Last year I also began as a third driver and then I made my debut, so I will try work to the maximum and support Ferrari and we’ll see what happens.”
Apart from making his debut with Sauber in 2017, replacing injured Pascal Wehrlein, Giovinazzi was also in action during several FP1 sessions during the course of the year.
He summed up his season, “I made my unexpected debut with Sauber, but I also did a lot of work on the simulator at Maranello and I also tested for Sauber, Ferrari and Haas.”
“It has been a year with many satisfactions. I am now a different driver with a lot more experience. I’m here now and I have to take advantage of every opportunity that will be given to me.”
“For me, it was a great honour to sign with Ferrari, the most important team in the world. Last season was exceptional for Ferrari, we reduced the gap and we are working hard to do even better next year.”
“I would be a liar if I said I didn’t want to be in Formula 1, maybe even winning a world champion title. It will be difficult but I will give it everything,” added 24-year-old Giovinazzi.
Big Question: Does Antonio deserve a full-time F1 seat?