Scuderia Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi will be at the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time this season in Monza and Austin, driving the Haas VF-22 in FP1, the team announced Monday.
Following the end of Season 8 of the ABB Formula E world championship, in which he competed with Dragon Penske Autosport, Antonio Giovinazzi returns to Formula One action taking part in two FP1 sessions with Haas F1, a team powered by Ferrari.
“I’m so glad to have the chance to drive again in official F1 sessions,” he outlined.
“Besides simulator driving, it is important to test a true car, and I can’t wait to put my suit and helmet back on. It’ll be an opportunity to get confident with the new generation’s cars.”
The Italian embarked on a new career challenge, racing for the first time in Formula E ahead of Season 8 of the all-electric world championship after losing his seat in Formula One with Alfa Romeo ORLEN Racing to Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu.
However, he continued to act as a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, remaining available to step in the 2022 challenger in case “any of Scuderia Ferrari customer teams require a replacement driver,” the Maranello outfit stressed at the time of the switch to FE was revealed.
The venues chosen for the Martina Franca native to participate in are the Italian Grand Prix staged at the legendary track in Monza and the United States GP held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
It will not be the first time the 28-year-old joins the American squad in Formula One; throughout 2017, he made seven FP1 session outings with Haas F1.
“Driving on challenging and exciting tracks as Monza and COTA makes it even more thrilling. Thanks to Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari – I’m looking forward to contributing to the team that counted on me already in 2017,” he added.
Formula One is resuming its season this weekend after the summer break at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, host to the Belgian Grand Prix.
Speaking about the Italian driver, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner commented: “We’re happy to welcome Antonio Giovinazzi back to the team for the two FP1 outings. Ferrari were keen to give Antonio some seat time in a current-spec Formula 1 car on a race weekend, and we were naturally happy to assist.”
“We enjoyed a similar situation back in 2017 with Antonio and Ferrari – the clear difference between then and now is the experience he’ll have gained competing for the previous…
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