Former team boss Gian Carlo Minardi has highlighted the importance for Italy of Antonio Giovinazzi stepping up to Formula 1 with Sauber this year and warns that the rookie's veteran teammate Kimi Raikkonen should watch out.
Writing on his website, ahead of the season which will see Giovinazzi share a pit garage with Raikkonen, Minardi predicted, "The Finn will have to keep a good watch over his shoulder on Giovinazzi because I am sure he will trouble him."
In 2017, Giovinazzi made an inauspicious first impression when handed two races with Sauber after regular driver Pascal Wehrlein injured himself before the season started.
In Australia that year, the Italian was fast-tracked into the team to substitute for the German who was unfit to race at the season opener and, under the circumstances, the Italian did well to bring it home in 12th.
Two weeks later, in China, his shares came crashing down dramatically when he pranged hard in qualifying in front of the pits, in wet conditions, and then 24-hours later he did it again, into the same wall when he lost control of the Sauber early on during the race.
Nevertheless, Ferrari persevered with the driver they signed for simulator work in 2016 after he impressed during his GP2 Series campaign, in which he finished second to champion Pierre Gasly.
He has clearly done enough to have the new management Maranello who have kept faith in him and back his first full season with Sauber.
Apart from Giovinazzi, Italian drivers in the top flight have been absent since 2011, as the demographics of talent making it on to the grand prix grid shifted in the past decade. France had a similar drought about a decade ago and right now there are no Brazilians on the grid for the first time since 1970.
Furthermore, from 1950 until 2011, barring 1969, there was always an Italian driver in Formula 1.
Minardi acknowledged, "The arrival of Antonio in F1 is a very important sign for the whole of Italian motorsport, for young drivers, as well as for the Federation and also for the future of the Italian Grand Prix.
"I have always argued that in Italy it is not that there are no drivers, but the rather the lack of resources and I am pleased that Antonio has managed to break down that barrier with his abilities."
"I hope this return [to F1 for an Italian driver] is a good omen and revive interest in motorsport," added the 71-year old whose team has since morphed into Toro Rosso.
https://www.grandprix247.com/2017/04/08/giovinazzi-i-apologise-to-the-team-for-what-happened/
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