Little change is the story at Alfa Romeo with the team retaining Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for the upcoming 2021 Formula 1 season. Last year was a disappointing campaign as Raikkonen and Giovinazzi scored just four points each. It was a surprise to many that Alfa Romeo did not opt to take on a Formula 2 driver such as champion Mick Schumacher, runner-up Callum Ilott or the highly rated Robert Shwartzman. Giovinazzi has had two years to impress and has been unable to shine or show a good run of form.
Giovinazzi's final F1 opportunity
This year is another chance for the Giovinazzi who shone in junior formula series. The Italian finished second in his rookie Formula 2 season in 2016 and was the standout driver that year as he finished behind Pierre Gasly who had been in the championship since 2014. Giovinazzi made his F1 debut in 2017, replacing an injured Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber, and he impressed. However, his second race weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix tarnished his reputation after he crashed twice – once in qualifying and once during the race. He was recalled for a permanent drive in 2019 but it feels as if he is not the same driver that he used to be and has never been able to fully bounce back from that nightmare 24 hours in Shanghai. There are no indications that Giovinazzi will improve but his target has to be, to starting beating teammate Raikkonen who is past his best. Momentum plays a huge part in any sport and one standout result could give Giovinazzi the confidence he needs to lead Alfa Romeo.
Raikkonen remains the team's biggest asset
Every year we ask, when is Raikkonen going to call it a day? But he is back for 2021 and he is still going strong. At 41-years-old, Raikkonen has had the upper hand on Giovinazzi. The world champion’s 2020 campaign went under the radar and he was often unlucky when on course for scoring points. His tyre management is impressive and has been key to giving Alfa Romeo a fighting chance of beating the midfield runners. Raikkonen is a great fit for the team. He is quick enough, brings experience, carries a huge fan base and is a huge asset in terms of marketing. Team principal Frederic Vasseur believes Raikkonen is key for Alfa Romeo if they are going to make progress up the pecking order. “I still see the passion and motivation in him every time I see him at work,” said Vasseur. “He [Raikkonen] can be trusted to deliver 100% of what the car can produce and he is a true leader for the people working around him.”
What to expect from Alfa Romeo in 2021
Alfa Romeo completed the joint-most number of laps in pre-season testing along with AlphaTauri. Raikkonen’s mammoth Sunday stint of 166 laps helped them to their total of 422 and the Alfa Romeo C41 looked significantly better than last year’s machine. The most encouraging sign from the test was Raikkonen’s session on Saturday morning when he was able to match the lap times of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Both were running a full race simulation at the same time and on the same tyre compounds. It means we can make a clear comparison between the two teams because they will have both started on a similar fuel load. Although Ferrari improved their performance on Sunday, it bodes well for Alfa Romeo that they could threaten the pace of the Ferrari with a level playing field. Ferrari appear to have closed the gap to the other engine manufacturers with their brand-new power unit which should help Alfa Romeo in their fight to improve on last year’s points haul. Financially, Alfa Romeo have struggled in recent times so the introduction of the budget cap for 2021 is especially welcome by them. The minimum target is to beat their points tally from 2020 although it will be difficult with such a competitive midfield. Alfa Romeo are not expecting big things when the season gets underway in Bahrain on March 28.
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