Betsafe X Antonio Giovinazzi
Alfa Romeo Racing driver Antonio Giovinazzi is one of the rising stars of the current Formula One grid.
In this video, Antonio talks about his journey through the lower categories of motorsport before reaching Formula One, and how he has evolved as a person during that journey.
- How superstitious is he?
- How does he prepare for a race?
- How far can he go?
Antonio Giovinazzi’s Career
2012 – The Early years
Hailing from Apulia in southern Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Formula One driver Antonio Giovinazzi had a meteoric rise through the lower categories of motorsport. He was born on 14 December 1993, and first got behind the wheel of a go-kart at the age of 8. He made the step up to single seaters in 2012, winning the Formula Pilota China Championship at the first attempt. He also made a guest appearance in the 2012 Formula Abarth season at Monza, winning two out of the three races held that weekend.
Next up was a double-headed assault on both the European and British Formula 3 championships during the 2013 season. Antonio competed in no less than 43 races that year, finishing second overall in the British Formula 3 Championship.
Another season in the European Formula 3 Championship ensued in 2014, and Antonio competed against a stellar line-up of drivers during that season, with the likes of Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen making up the grid. He finished sixth, setting himself up as a favourite for the title for the following year. His last season in European Formula 3 saw him win six times and finish runner-up in the 2015 Championship.
Antonio teamed up with Prema for the very last season of GP2 in 2016 before the series morphed into Formula 2 for the following season. Despite taking more wins than anyone else during the season, he finished runner-up to his team-mate, Pierre Gasly. A memorable moment was passing Gasly during one of the races at Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit despite the Drag Reduction System on his car not working.
2017 – The ferrari years
Ferrari came knocking at the end of the 2016 season, and Antonio became a Formula One development driver for the team. One the eve of the start of the 2017 Formula One World Championship, he received a call-up from Sauber (now Alfa Romeo Racing) to replace regular race driver Pascal Wehrlein for the Australian Grand Prix. He would also replace him at the following round in China. His speed was evident from the outset, and he went on to make various free practice appearances for the Ferrari-powered Haas team at other grands prix that year.
More free practice appearances ensued for Sauber in 2017 before he got the call-up to compete in his first full Formula One with Alfa Romeo Racing season this year. Spurred on by his home fans at Monza, he scored his best result so far at the Italian Grand Prix, racing to ninth place.
The affable and easy-going Italian is very well-liked within the fold at Alfa Romeo Racing, and everyone within the team is hugely excited about his prospects going forward during the remainder of the 2019 Formula One World Championship.
