Official: Antonio Giovinazzi will be alongside Räikkönen at Sauber in 2019
The Swiss team Alfa Romeo Sauber has confirmed the presence of Antonio Giovinazzi as a full-time driver alongside Kimi Räikkönen for the 2019 Formula 1 season.
Italy had been waiting seven years for one of its drivers to be appointed since Jarno Trulli’s retirement in 2011. The 2019 season will therefore mark the great return of an Italian representative in Formula 1 with Antonio Giovinazzi, even though he had already raced two Grand Prix with Sauber at the beginning of 2017, replacing an injured Pascal Wehrlein.
The 24-year-old driver thus sees his patience rewarded after several seasons spent in the shadows at Sauber but also at Haas, where he was at one point anticipated: “I am delighted to join the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team. It’s a dream come true and a great pleasure to have the chance to race for this team. As an Italian, it is a great honor for me to represent such an iconic and glorious brand as Alfa Romeo in our sport. I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari and the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for giving me this opportunity. I am very motivated and eager to start working to achieve good results together,” said the Italian.
A happiness shared by Frédéric Vasseur, the Team Principal: “We are very happy to reveal the complete list of drivers for the 2019 season. We first signed Kimi Räikkönen, an extremely experienced driver who will contribute to the development of our car and accelerate the progress of our team as a whole. With Alfa Romeo, we are delighted to welcome Antonio Giovinazzi, who will replace Charles Leclerc. We have already had the opportunity to work with him in the past and he has proven to have great potential. We are very determined and motivated. Our goal is to continue progressing and fighting for positions that matter,” explains the Frenchman.
The current main driver, Marcus Ericsson, nevertheless remains with the team in a role as third driver and development driver, with the hope of regaining a main seat in the near future.
???? CONFIRMED: 2019 Driver Line-up Locked In ????@Anto_Giovinazzi will be an Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team driver from 2019
Antonio will line-up alongside #Kimi7 for us next season
Who’s excited to see these two together?#WelcomeGio #f1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/dipRGvNyZa
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) 25 septembre 2018
