Giovinazzi: This is a dream come true

Next year Giovinazzi will share a garage with veteran Kimi Raikkonen as Sauber field an all-changed driver line-up in 2019, meaning that Marcus Ericsson is out the door while Charles Leclerc replaces Raikkonen at Maranello.

As part of the Alfa-Romeo branding deal and engine supply Ferrari are entitled to a seat for their junior drivers, with Leclerc ready and primed for the Reds, it is time now time for Giovinazzi to step up.

In the team press release announcing his appointment, Giovinazzi said, "I am delighted to be joining the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. This is a dream come true, and it is a great pleasure to have the chance to race for this team."

"As an Italian, it is a huge honour for me to represent a brand as iconic and successful as Alfa Romeo in our sport. I would like to thank the Scuderia Ferrari and the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for giving me this great opportunity."

"I am very motivated and cannot wait to start working towards achieving great results together," added Giovinazzi.

The Italian has two grand prix race starts on his CV for when he substituted for injured Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix and the at the next race in China.

It was an unremarkable entry on to the big stage, largely remembered for his two, near identical, big crashes one in Shanghai qualifying and then 24-hours later in the race.

Sauber F1 CEO Frédéric Vasseur said of the team's new kid on the block, "We have already had the opportunity to work with [Antonio] in the past and he has proven to have great potential."

"We are very determined and motivated. Our target is to continue progressing and fighting together for positions that count," added the team chief.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/25/sauber-confirm-giovinazzi-to-partner-raikkonen-in-2019/