Antonio Giovinazzi becomes Ferrari reserve driver
Antonio Giovinazzi has just been named Ferrari's reserve driver, although he has not yet decided on his racing schedule for next season.
Antonio Giovinazzi made a notable entrance in GP2, with a battle until the last race with his teammate, Pierre Gasly, for the title. Although he ultimately conceded by eight small points, he managed to capture the attention of F1 teams.
It is therefore Ferrari that managed to sign him, which will result in significant simulator sessions as well as participation in testing sessions reserved for young drivers. The news was confirmed by Sergio Marchionne, the president of FIAT, during the traditional Christmas lunch: “I can confirm that in 2017, he will be our third driver. We took him because he is a very good driver. But I am also delighted that he is also Italian.”
Nevertheless, his schedule could be much busier since it is not yet ruled out that he may join the F1 grid as early as next season. Indeed, Ferrari seems open to the idea of loaning its driver to one of its customer teams. Sauber still has a seat available alongside Marcus Ericsson.
Moreover, the young Italian has the significant financial support of Joganya Ayam, KFC’s Indonesian subsidiary, which could thus gain visibility in F1. The same subsidiary has also been mentioned recently as a possible investor in Manor. The coming weeks could therefore prove to be intense.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
