Official: Antonio Giovinazzi leaves Alfa Romeo

A few days ago a photo of a Chinese Alfa Romeo dealer leaked information that Guanyu Zhou would be the first Chinese driver to join the premier category of motor racing. This, along with Antonio Giovinazzi’s recent statements after the last races of the season, confirmed that the Italian’s future in F1 was uncertain.

Having joined Alfa Romeo in 2019 alongside Kimi Räikkönen, the 27-year-old driver has never managed to make an impression on the paddock during these three years of collaboration. While the Finn managed to finish in the points in the first 4 races of the 2019 season, it took until the Austrian Grand Prix, the 9th race of that year, to see the Italian finish in the Top 10.

This year, although Antonio Giovinazzi has often outshone his teammate in qualifying, even managing to get his modest Alfa Romeo into Q3 a few times, he struggles to compete with his garage neighbor in races. Kimi Räikkönen has scored points 4 times this season, compared to only once for Giovinazzi.

A departure motivated by mediocre performances but also for economic reasons. Indeed, Giovinazzi’s replacement, Zhou, 2nd in the F2 driver championship, would bring several million to the Hinwil structure.

Fred Vasseur, Alfa Romeo’s team principal on the end of this collaboration: Saying goodbye to a driver is never easy, especially when it comes to Antonio who has been part of the team for many seasons. We will celebrate the good times and learn from the less good ones. All these moments have made us grow as a team. We wish Antonio the best for his future after this 2021 season, but before that, we still have three races where we can achieve good results together and finish this year on a high note.

If it is unlikely to see Antonio Giovinazzi back in Formula 1 in the near future, the Italian could well bounce back in Formula E where the Penske Dragon Racing team would not say no to the experience that a former Formula 1 driver can bring.