JANUARY 20, 2021

Giovinazzi didn't take Ferrari seat news well

Antonio Giovinazzi has admitted he didn't take news of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari seat for 2021 "all that well".

Antonio Giovinazzi has admitted he didn't take news of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari seat for 2021 "all that well".

The 27-year-old has been retained by Alfa Romeo and remains a part of Ferrari's driver academy, but he admits the Maranello team opting to replace Sebastian Vettel with former McLaren driver Sainz was disappointing.

"Of course I didn't take Ferrari's decision all that well," the Italian told Autosprint. "That seems obvious.

"I am still employed by Ferrari and I thought there would be a chance for me to race for the Scuderia. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me."

However, Giovinazzi is not yet writing off his chance of racing a Ferrari one day.

"Choosing Sainz doesn't mean that I won't be able to get that seat in the future. A seat at Ferrari will always be my dream," he said.

The Italian said he is not disheartened that his road to the top in Formula 1 is taking time.

"I have never been gifted anything in my career," he said. "I have always had to fight hard to earn my seats.

"At this time I am focused on Alfa Romeo. I want to help my team move forward as much as possible, which is why I would like a podium. To do that, I have to keep improving myself and taking my opportunities.

"Let's see if that works out in 2021."

(GMM)