Alfa Romeo Racing Keeps Antonio Giovinazzi For 2020 F1 Season

Come next year, 25-year old Italian racing driver Antonio Giovinazzi will compete in his second full season in Formula 1, alongside veteran and 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.

After a shaky start to his F1 career, Giovinazzi began impressing the team with his rate of improvement and positive attitude. After scoring his first points in Austria, the Italian began matching his teammate for pace and managed to finish in the points again at Monza and in Singapore.

“I am very happy to be staying with the team for 2020. I am grateful for the incredible level of support I received in my first full season in Formula One: everyone in the team has stuck by my side since I joined and I am really looking forward to continuing our journey together,” said Giovinazzi.

“We learned a lot this year and I am confident we can make a big step forward next season. I won’t be a rookie anymore so there won’t be any excuses for me: I want to be competitive right from the start of the championship and repay the confidence the team has shown in me.”

Before joining Alfa Romeo this year, Giovinazzi, who finished 14th this past weekend at the United States Grand Prix, had previously tested for both Haas and Sauber (now Alfa) back in 2017.

“Antonio has done really well this year and I am extremely pleased to be able to confirm he will stay with Alfa Romeo Racing for 2020,” added team principal Federic Vasseur. “His His technical feedback, work ethics and positive approach will help us continue to push our team forward, and so will the consistency of an unchanged line-up for next season.”

Also read: F1’s Toro Rosso To Become Alpha Tauri Starting Next Year

While Giovinazzi trails his teammate by 27 points in the Drivers Standings, the qualifying battle is much closer, with Raikkonen holding on to a slim 10-9 advantage (with two races to go in the calendar).

As for the remaining teams, Williams still has a free seat alongside George Russel and Red Bull alongside Verstappen. Toro Rosso meanwhile are the only team to yet announce a driver for 2020.