Biography of Formula 1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi

In relative terms, Giovinazzi was late to single-seater racing. After starting in karting the Italian was 18 when he took the next step forward, winning the Formula Pilota China series. The following year he finished second after winning two races in the British Formula 3 Championship before competing against the likes of Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon in the European Formula 3 Championship in 2014.

It was unclear whether he would ever make the jump to F1, but a strong showing in the 2016 GP2 Championship greatly boosted his chances. Partnered by current AlphaTauri man Pierre Gasly at Prema Racing, the Italian took home five victories and finished eight points back of his teammate in the final standings, narrowly missing out on becoming the first rookie champion since Nico Hulkenberg in 2009.

His performances earned him a role as Ferrari’s third driver, though he made his F1 debut soon after by driving in place of the injured Pascal Wehrlein for Sauber in Australia and China in early 2017. This made him the first Italian to start in F1 since Jarno Trulli and Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2011.

Permanent fixture on Formula 1 grid

Giovinazzi continued to serve as test driver for Sauber and Ferrari in 2018 and would eventually secure a race seat with Alfa Romeo – previously Sauber – for 2019. Things started out poorly as the Italian went eight races without a point before breaking that run at the Austrian Grand Prix.

He crashed from ninth spot on the last lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, a mistake that led team principal Frederic Vasseur to publicly question his future with the outfit. However Giovanazzi improved after that, even leading the Singapore Grand Prix for four laps after the leaders pitted. It was the first time Alfa Romeo led a Grand Prix since Andrea de Cesaris in the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix.

Giovinazzi ended the season with 14 points having left Belgium with just one to his name, outscoring his illustrious teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the final eight races of the season.

Both drivers were retained for the 2020 season, though Alfa Romeo struggled for much of the campaign due to the underpowered Ferrari power-unit. Nonetheless, Giovinazzi managed to finish the season level on points with Raikkonen while out-qualifying him at nine of the 17 races, a trend he will look to continue in 2021.

Antonio Giovinazzi outside of Formula 1

A fan of fashion, the Italian is a collector of white shoes and has stated that he owns at least 25 pairs. He certainly has time to collect things given he admits he isn’t a very good cook. His favourite dish is orecchiette with arrabbiata sauce, though he holds pizza, lasagna and tiramisu in high regard as well.

When Giovinazzi finds time for something outside of F1 he can often be seen playing tennis. He is a member of the Piatti Tennis Centre in Bordighera, Italy, an exclusive club and school where 17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic trains.