Antonio Giovinazzi to take part in seven free practice sessions this season with Haas
Ferrari's third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will be in the bucket of one of the Haas cars during Free Practice 1 at the Silverstone Grand Prix and for six further sessions during the season.
Ferrari’s young test driver Antonio Giovinazzi, who has already competed in two Grand Prix for Sauber this season replacing Pascal Wehrlein, will participate in seven free practice sessions 1 this year at the wheel of the Haas VF-17. The first session will take place during the FP1 of the British Grand Prix, followed by the Hungarian, Italian, Malaysian, Mexican, Brazilian, and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Italian will replace Kevin Magnussen in six of the seven free practice sessions and will take Romain Grosjean’s place once in Mexico.
Giovinazzi was the runner-up in the European F3 Championship in 2015, then again second in the 2016 GP2 Championship with Prema even though he was a rookie in the discipline. He joined Scuderia Ferrari as the third driver at the start of the 2017 season and became the first Italian to race since Jarno Trulli at the Australian Grand Prix. The Melbourne race was satisfactory for the Italian as he finished twelfth, but the Chinese Grand Prix weekend proved more challenging with crashes in both qualifying and the race.
Antonio Giovinazzi says he is proud to get into the Haas seat and the trust Ferrari places in him: « In a year that has already been filled with great opportunities, I am proud to have another with Haas F1 Team. Being the third driver for Scuderia Ferrari is obviously an excellent position to be in, and now getting a seat for these free practice sessions 1 with Haas F1 Team will get me back in the game. »
The young 23-year-old Italian thinks that what he has learned in the Ferrari simulator will be useful on track: « I will be able to use what I learned in the simulator and apply it in real conditions. I am proud of the trust that Ferrari and Haas have in me and grateful for the track time that Kevin and Romain will share with me. »
Günther Steiner, director of the Haas F1 Team, highlights the performances of the Italian last year in GP2 and thanks his drivers for agreeing to give up their seats for a few free practice sessions: He is highly appreciated by Ferrari and did very well last year in Formula 2 (GP2). It’s a good opportunity for him and we are happy to provide it to him. Credit also goes to Kevin (Magnussen) and Romain (Grosjean) who will generously share their cars with Antonio.
