F1 veteran hopes Giovinazzi keeps seat

(GMM) One Formula 1 veteran hopes Antonio Giovinazzi clings onto his seat at Alfa Romeo.

Recently, Giovinazzi’s prospects of that appeared bleak, with Guanyu Zhou reportedly offering $30 million in Chinese backing, and IndyCar star Colton Herta apparently central to Andretti’s touted EUR 600 million team takeover bid.

But with the Andretti buyout apparently collapsing, Italian incumbent Giovinazzi may now once again be a contender to stay at Alfa Romeo, where Kimi Raikkonen will be replaced by Valtteri Bottas next year.

“Antonio is a quality driver,” former F1 driver David Coulthard told Corriere dello Sport.

“I think he’s fast and smart, and he’s a good guy, which is always good for partners and sponsors.

“It will always be difficult in a team like Alfa when you are aligned with Ferrari, but Ferrari has Leclerc and Sainz, so there are not many opportunities to go there.

“And the fact that he is a young driver from Maranello limits his ability to join other teams,” the former McLaren and Red Bull driver added.

“But I hope Giovinazzi is confirmed by Alfa Romeo as he can do a good job next to Bottas. In fact, I think it’s really the best chance for him.

“Raikkonen is a fast driver, and I think the fans maybe don’t give Antonio enough credit to be ahead of him this year – especially as it’s not something I managed very often when I was Kimi’s teammate,” Scot Coulthard, 50, said.