Giovinazzi: Kimi still one of the best

At 41 years of age, Raikkonen is comfortably the oldest driver currently in F1, with some onlookers questioning whether his seat would be filled by a younger talent.

However Giovinazzi, who is in the midst of his second season alongside the Finn, says he remains one of the best on the grid.

"Kimi has a lot of experience and that helps a lot," he told motorsport-total.com. "It allows him to get the most out of the car, especially in the race.

"In my eyes he continues to be one of the best - or maybe even the best - at dividing up a race, how to use the tyres from the first to the last lap.

"I've heard many journalists say: 'At his age he has reached the end of his F1 career', but I can confirm that every time he comes to the track, he is very motivated and ready to fight.

"And if I get to the finish ahead of him, it's only because I had a perfect weekend."

A Ferrari junior driver, Giovinazzi still has his sights set on making it to the team that gave Raikkonen his only driver's championship in 2007. At the same time, he concedes the famously brusque Finn is not one to provide him with much direct guidance, although he insists they still work well together.

"I learned a lot from him, but he's not the type who reveals a lot," Giovinazzi admitted.

"I've always said our driving style is pretty similar which can help the team develop the car more quickly because we are on the same wavelength when it comes to our comments in the meetings."

Indeed, both drivers were recently confirmed to be returning to Alfa for the 2021 F1 season, which Giovinazzi is indicative of their value as a pairing.

"My results naturally contributed to my contract extension. In the races in which we were able to score points this year, we did so - Kimi in Mugello, me in Austria and Germany.

"To cut a long story short we were there when it was necessary, in the races that suited our car.

"Now there are a few more Grands Prix to come. We hope to be able to increase our points a little so that we can stay in the fight for P8 in the constructors' championship."