Antonio Giovinazzi will switch to Formula E with Dragon Penske in 2022 after losing his Alfa Romeo Formula 1 seat to Chinese racing driver Guanyu Zhou.
Alfa Romeo announced Tuesday morning that it will part ways with Giovinazzi after three full seasons, with Formula 2 title contender Zhou taking his place in a separate announcement shortly thereafter.
Giovinazzi criticized his post-news expulsion on Twitter, saying F1 “can be ruthless when money rules” regarding Zhou’s support and the potential for the sport to increase its presence in a rapidly growing Chinese economy.
Only a few hours after the announcement of his departure from Formula 1 after the 2021 season, Giovinazzi has secured a move to FE with Jay Penske’s squad.
The Italian rider will partner with Sergio Sette Camara, who signed an extension on his Dragon Penske deal on Monday night after impressing in his first year in FE last season.
“As soon as it became known that I would not be in Formula 1 next year, I decided to take part in the Formula E World Championship,” said Giovinazzi. “It’s a category I’ve always followed. I am very happy to be part of DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT in this all-electric racing series that I tested three years ago.
“I would like to thank Jay Penske, who immediately showed great interest in having me on board. I can’t wait to test my new electric single-seater in Valencia at the end of the month. We have an exciting year ahead of us, I’ll do my best to make the team a success. “
Giovinazzi will take over the place that was originally taken by Audi works driver Nico Muller in 2021, before he left in the middle of the season to concentrate on the DTM drivers.
“Antonio is one of the most talented drivers in the world and I am very proud to have him on this team,” said team principal Penske. “With Antonio and Sergio we are fortunate to have what I believe to be the strongest line-up in the series.”
Dragon Penske finished 11th in the 2021 season.
Muller secured the team’s best result in the campaign with second place in the quirky Valencia race, but both he and Sette Camara finished in the top five in the second race in Diriyah earlier this year.
Giovinazzi could do his first test of Dragon Penske’s Gen2 Formula E car at the pre-season test in Valencia later this month.
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