The Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans proved to be one of the most dramatic endurance races in years, with Ferrari and Toyota engaging in a spectacular battle for the lead in the final hours. However, Ferrari managed to overpower their rivals to claim their first endurance race victory in over 50 years, thanks to the tremendous efforts of their three top-tier drivers, led by former Formula 1 driver, Antonio Giovinazzi.
Giovinazzi has had a rather turbulent racing career so far, with uncertainty haunting him throughout his stay in Formula 1. Eventually, his long-yearned dream of winning a race vanished when Ferrari-backed Alfa Romeo decided to move on from the Italian and instead sign rookie and pay driver, Guanyu Zhou.
@F1 is emotion, talent, cars, risk, speed. But when money rules it can be ruthless.
I believe in the surprise of an unexpected result, of big or small victories achieved thanks to one’s commitment.
If this was my first picture on a F1, the last still has to be taken 💪 pic.twitter.com/atAw5FwtRm— Antonio Giovinazzi (@Anto_Giovinazzi) November 16, 2021
Giovinazzi even tweeted a heartfelt statement, acknowledging his desire to return to Formula One and that his racing career is far from done. Two years later, true to his words, Giovinazzi brought the silverware back to Maranello through a historic victory in France.
Now, let’s take a look at Giovinazzi’s interesting journey in the world of racing!
Antonio Giovinazzi & his journey with Ferrari in F1
In 2015, Giovinazzi earned worldwide recognition through his ecstatic show in Formula 3, securing P2 with 412.5 points in the bag. This drew Prema Racing from the GP2 series to offer the Italian a seat in 2016. And, yet again, Giovinazzi claimed P2 in the championship by securing a remarkable 211 points.
This laid the foundation for his journey in F1. Ferrari was seemingly impressed by his talent and subsequently offered Giovinazzi the reserve driver role at Haas and Alfa Romeo. Soon after, Giovinazzi managed to make his F1 debut as a third driver for Alfa Romeo, replacing Pascal Wehrlein at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.
Despite failing to finish in the top 10, he cherished a decent outing around Albert Park. Regardless, the Italian had to wait two years to earn his first full-time seat at Alfa Romeo alongside Ferrari’s last world champion, Kimi Raikkonen.
Unfortunately, the timing was awry, as Alfa Romeo was then in the midst of a performance decline. Hence, Giovinazzi hardly found himself in the battle for points, as he ultimately managed to garner mere 21 points over his 3-year stint at the Ferrari-powered outfit.
In 2021, amid the growing competitiveness of F1, Alfa Romeo desperately needed financial backing and Zhou arrived as the best possible solution to their growing headache. Meanwhile, Ferrari wasn’t ready to break ties with Giovinazzi as they offered him the reserve driver role in F1 for the 2022 season along with opportunities in the Endurance Championship and other racing series.
After quite a long wait, Giovinazzi has finally gotten his redemption and reclaimed his spotlight in racing. But, only time will tell if the 29-year-old can make a sensational return to Formula 1.