Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Antonio Giovinazzi

  • Haas to run GIO

    Ferrari reserve, Antonio Giovinazzi will return to Formula 1 as he runs for Haas in FP1 at both the Italian and United States Grand Prix.

    The Italian driver lost his race seat at Alfa Romeo at the end of 2021 after three seasons with the team. He then embarked on a racing career in Formula E with Dragon Penske Racing whilst dovetailing the Ferrari F1 reserve role with Haas driver Mick Schumacher for this season.

    The team announced the news ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix – the first race after the summer break. Haas announced Giovinazzi would test the VF-22 at Monza and COTA, with Ferrari keen to give the Italian some time in the 2022 spec machinery.

    This isn’t the first time the 28 year old, has performed such duties with Haas before, having completed seven FP1 sessions in 2017.

    However, Haas will still be obliged to make their car available for two further Free Practice 1 sessions this year under rule 3.12.2 of the Sporting Regulations. Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi is eligible for this as he has only raced twice for the team in 2020.

    We’re happy to welcome Antonio Giovinazzi back to the team for the two FP1 outingsWe’re happy to welcome Antonio Giovinazzi back to the team for the two FP1 outings. Ferrari were keen to give Antonio some seat time in a current-spec Formula 1 car on a race weekend and we were naturally happy to assist. We enjoyed a similar situation back in 2017 with Antonio and Ferrari – the clear difference between then and now is the experience he’ll have gained competing for the previous three seasons in Formula 1 and the feedback he’ll be able to give us in Italy and America. I’m looking forward to seeing Antonio again and having him back in the paddock with us.

    Haas Team Principle, Guenther Steiner.

    I’m so glad to have the chance to drive again in official F1 sessions. Besides simulator driving, it is important to test a true car and I can’t wait to put my suit and helmet back on. It’ll be an opportunity to get confident with the new generation cars – it’s the best way to be ready if I were called as reserve driver. Driving on challenging and exciting tracks as Monza and COTA makes it even more thrilling. Thanks to Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari – I’m looking forward to giving my contribution to the team that counted on me already in 2017.

    Antonio Giovinazzi on his FP1 sessions.

  • Gio out, Zhou in.

    It has been announced that Antonio Giovinazzi has not been retained for the 2022 season, instead Alfa Romeo have chosen Guanyu Zhou to complete their line up.

    Guanyu Zhou who is currently sitting in 2nd of the Formula 2 Championship will be the first full time Formula 1 Chinese Driver ever! Zhou, has been linked with being Alfa Romeo’s second driver for several months and was a main contender for the seat.

    Guanyu is apart of the Alpine Driver Academy along side title rival, Oscar Piastri. Zhou also has a role as a test driver for Alpine.

    “It is a pleasure to welcome Guanyu Zhou to Alfa Romeo Racing,” said Vasseur. “He is a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we are looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in Formula 1. We are proud of our line-up for 2022 and we are confident Zhou will form a very successful partnership with Valtteri. We are also looking forward to welcoming all the new Chinese fans who will join the team: Alfa Romeo Racing is a historical brand and one that embodies the spirit of Formula 1 and we will do our utmost to make the experience of our sport a great one in China.”

    Zhou added: “I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I am passionate about and now the dream has come true. It is a privilege for me to start my Formula 1 career with an iconic team, a team that has introduced so much young talent into Formula 1 in the past. Now the dream is reality. I feel well prepared for the immense challenge of Formula 1, the pinnacle of my sport, alongside a proven, world-class talent in Valtteri Bottas. I wish to thank the Alfa Romeo Racing team for this opportunity. Next year the target will be to learn as much as possible and as quickly as possible. To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history. I know a lot of hopes will be resting on me and, as ever, I will take this as motivation to become better and achieve more.”

    My Opinion-

    It’s obviously a shame to see someone leaving the sport, and I can imagine Giovinazzi probably feels the same. But to have someone new come in is exciting, with watching Zhou the past few years he is definitely improving more and more as a driver.

    It will be interesting to see how he does in the Alfa Romeo next year and especially along side Valtteri Bottas, with both of them new to the team it may take them both a while to get use to the car and team.