Born in 1993, Antonio Giovinazzi is an Italian racing driver signed to Ferrari for the 2022 Formula 1 season. While he didn’t manage to retain his seat at Alfa Romeo for the year, the Ferrari-linked driver is still seen around the paddock every weekend, working with the development team behind the scenes to improve the car for the upcoming Championship fight with Red bull
While Giovinazzi didn’t manage to achieve much success during his stint with Alfa Romeo, his true potential was never fully tested at the team. This was due to regular setbacks, constant retirements, and organizational chaos at the team during the last few seasons. Despite this, Antonio managed to secure himself a seat in Formula E for 2022. To learn more about the official reserve driver for Ferrari, here are 10 fast facts about Antonio Giovinazzi:
10 Junior Karting Career
Antonio grew up in Italy, where he started karting at a very young age. Just like many other F1 drivers, Antonio competed locally at first before moving up to national and international competitions.
Antonio got off to a winning start in 2006 as he managed to win 3 out of the 3 competitions he participated in that year. Giovinazzi managed to impress scouts in his early years, securing a few sponsors to further his career in motorsport.
9 Masters Of Formula 3
Via: WTF1
Antonio progressed to a few other Italian competitions in 2007 and 2008, working his way up to the national level. He managed to compete in KF3 tournaments from 2007 all the way to KF1 tournaments in 2012.
In 2013, Antonio made the jump to Formula 3 by securing a seat with Double R Racing. Here he competed in the FIA Formula 3, British Formula 3, and the Masters of Formula 3. While he didn’t race much in the Masters of Formula 3, he did manage to secure 2nd place in the British competition that year.
8th Raced With Carlin
Following in the footsteps of some of the sport’s greatest drivers, Antonio secured a seat with Carlin for the 2014 season. Racing for the FIA Formula 3 competition, Antonio managed to impress the scouts and team by finishing the first season in 6th place.
The second season for Carlin was more impressive, with Antonio finishing 2nd in the Formula 3 Championship and managing to secure the Championship Title in the Masters of Formula 3. Winning the race from pole, Antonio made a statement that the rest of motorsport took note of as they recommended him for a seat in GP2.
7 GP2 Series
Antonio made the jump to GP2 in 2016 as a driver for Perma Racing. This was heavily influenced by his partnership with Ferrari, as Perma was also the team for other Ferrari Academy drivers throughout the years.
In his first season, Antonio managed to win 5 races and secure 8 podiums. This led him to finish in 2nd place overall for the season. This drive was impressive enough to promote him to Formula 1 and various endurance competitions in the following year.
6 An Italian Ferrari Driver
While many may not like to think of it as a reason for his success, Antonio is one of the few Italian drivers to make his way to Formula 1. Many critics of the driver state that his sponsorship and promotion were heavily influenced by Ferrari.
If you think about it, this kind of partnership does make sense for Ferrari on a commercial level. As the Italian manufacturer has been growing to build an elite brand for itself, having an Italian driver for their Formula 1 team can help ground it as a proudly Italian brand.
5 Asian Le Mans
Antonio did not have a traditional racing career. While many other drivers went straight from F3 to GP2 and then to F1, Antonio grabbed the opportunity to race in a number of other motorsport competitions along the way.
Antonio raced in DTM, European Le Mans, and even the Asian Le Mans Series where he ended up coming 3rd overall. Racing for Jagonya Ayam, Antonio managed to win both of the races he competed in, securing 3rd place in the competition.
4 endurance racing
Antonio may not have had much experience in Formula 2 and Formula 1, but he did spend a few years competing in a number of endurance competitions around Europe and Asia. This included the Asian Le Mans Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship, and even the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Antonio managed to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for AF Corse, finishing 5th in the competition. While this wasn’t the result he was hoping for, it did provide him with the experience he needed to move straight into Formula 1.
3 formula 1
Antonio began his Formula 1 career as the official test driver for Alfa Romeo in 2018. This was during his final season driving in endurance competitions such as Le Mans and LMP2.
Driving for Alfa Romeo, Antonio signed on as a Ferrari driver on a 3-year contract. While he was not in a competitive car, Giovinazzi managed to score points in every season he competed. In 2019, he managed to secure 14 points, followed by 4 and 3 points in the following seasons.
2 Formula E
Alfa Romeo decided to go with an all-new driver lineup for the 2022 Formula 1 season. This saw Kimi retire, while Antonio found himself with a contract and no seat. Antonio took the opportunity to move over to another growing motorsport competition, Formula E.
In Formula E, Antonio raced for Penske Autosport in 8 races. While this was not the best performance from the Italian, he was quickly called back to Formula 1 to help with the development and testing of Ferrari’s new F1 car.
1 Reserve Driver For 2022
Although Antonio did not manage to impress Ferrari enough to take the seat from Carlos Sainz, the team did not want to part ways with the Italian driver yet. This is why the team decided to maintain the contract with Antonio and use him as the official reserve driver for the 2022 season.
This is particularly interesting due to the place Ferrari finds itself in the 2022 season. At the top of the table, Ferrari is challenging Red Bull for race wins and the championship itself. This means that if Carlos Sainz or Charles LeClerc is ever sick or unavailable for a race weekend, Antonio steps into a championship-winning car that is capable of winning his first-ever F1 race.
