Antonio Giovinazzi

Antonio Giovinazzi
Martin Lee from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Antonio Giovinazzi
Caption	Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021
Birth date	1993-12-14
Birth place	Martina Franca, Apulia, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Racing driver
Teams	Sauber, Alfa Romeo, DragonSpeed, AF Corse

Antonio Giovinazzi is an Italian professional racing driver from Martina Franca, Apulia, Italy, who has competed in international single-seater, prototype, and endurance championships, including FIA Formula One World Championship, European Le Mans Series, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. He rose through European karting circuits and junior formulae to become a development and race driver for Scuderia Ferrari's driver academy before securing a full-time Formula One seat with Sauber Motorsport operating as Alfa Romeo Racing works partner, later transitioning to sportscar competition with DragonSpeed and AF Corse. Giovinazzi's career intersects with teams, events, circuits, and personnel across Formula 2, GP2 Series, FIA World Endurance Championship, and IMSA SportsCar Championship calendars.

Early life and karting

Born in Martina Franca in the Apulia region, Giovinazzi began karting in regional Italian championships and quickly progressed to international events such as the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship, KF3 and KF2 categories, competing at circuits like Vallelunga Circuit and Adria International Raceway. He raced against contemporaries including Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, and Sergio Pérez in events such as the Rotax Max Challenge and WSK Champions Cup, joining teams that contested the European Karting Championship and the Italian Open Masters. Giovinazzi's karting career earned recognition from talent scouts at Scuderia Ferrari, Prema Racing, ART Grand Prix, and Campos Racing, paving the way to single-seater categories.

Junior formulae and GP2/Formula 2

Giovinazzi stepped into single-seaters via the Formula Abarth championship and the Italian Formula Three Championship, racing for teams like BVM Racing and JD Motorsport alongside drivers such as Raffaele Marciello, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Rowland, Pierre Gasly, and Antonio Félix da Costa. He advanced to the GP2 Series with Piquet GP and subsequently contested the inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship with PREMA Powerteam and Trident Racing, scoring podiums at venues including Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone, Hungaroring, and Yas Marina Circuit. During this period Giovinazzi served as a development driver for Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and was linked to technical staff from Ferrari, Sauber, and Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team through testing and reserve roles, sharing paddock experience with drivers like Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Nico Hülkenberg.

Formula One career

Giovinazzi joined Scuderia Ferrari in a development capacity while serving as reserve and test driver for Sauber F1 Team before making his Formula One race debut as a stand-in at 2017 Australian Grand Prix for Sauber during FP1 outings, later securing a race seat for the 2019 Formula One World Championship with Alfa Romeo Racing in partnership with Sauber Motorsport. Across seasons Giovinazzi partnered with teammates including Kimi Räikkönen, Marcus Ericsson, and worked under team principals from Sauber, Alfa Romeo, and partner suppliers like Ferrari and Pirelli at grands prix held at Monaco Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix, British Grand Prix, Italian Grand Prix, and Singapore Grand Prix. His F1 tenure featured points finishes, strategic battles involving competitors such as Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz Jr., Sebastian Vettel, and on-track incidents with drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, while testing and simulator work connected him to engineers and aerodynamicists from Dallara, Magneti Marelli, and Haas F1 Team. After leaving a full-time F1 seat, Giovinazzi made guest appearances and reserve roles linked to Haas and Alpine test programmes.

Sportscar and endurance racing

Transitioning to sportscar racing, Giovinazzi signed with DragonSpeed and later AF Corse to contest series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, and IMSA SportsCar Championship, driving prototypes and GT machinery including LMP2 prototypes and Ferrari 488 GTE/Ferrari 499P entries at events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Petit Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Bathurst 12 Hour. Teammates and rivals during this phase have included drivers from Toyota Gazoo Racing, Peugeot Sport, Jota Sport, G-Drive Racing, United Autosports, TDS Racing, and endurance specialists such as Mike Conway, Brendon Hartley, Alex Lynn, Jean-Éric Vergne, and Sébastien Buemi. Giovinazzi’s endurance campaigns involved collaboration with engineers and strategists from Michelin, Shell, OMP Racing, and endurance organisers like the ACO and IMSA.

Racing record and achievements

Giovinazzi's career highlights encompass podiums and victories across GP2 Series, FIA Formula 2 Championship, points finishes in the FIA Formula One World Championship, and class performances in FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring. He has been recognized by institutions such as ACI Sport and featured in year-end rankings by motorsport outlets alongside peers like Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Esteban Ocon. Giovinazzi’s statistical record includes multiple pole positions, fastest laps, race wins in junior categories, and sustained contributions as a test, reserve, and race driver across teams including Scuderia Ferrari, Sauber, Alfa Romeo Racing, DragonSpeed, and AF Corse.

Category:Italian racing drivers Category:Formula One drivers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers