F1: Giovinazzi said ‘no’ to Alfa Romeo team order

(GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi appears to have dealt a blow to his chances of keeping his seat at Alfa Romeo.

Amid swirling rumors about his 2022 replacement, it appears the Ferrari-backed Italian refused to obey a team order to let teammate Kimi Raikkonen past last time out in Turkey.

“We asked to switch positions but, at that point, Antonio started to pick up his pace and decided he wanted to stay ahead,” said engineering boss Xevi Pujolar.

“For the team it was not an optimal decision,” he admitted.

“I did not understand why we could not have swapped positions, given that at the end of the race we could have restored them according to the situation that would have arisen.

“For us it is important to get the points and Kimi’s pace was competitive at that stage.”