Antonio Giovinazzi finds his footing at Haas

The time has come for Antonio Giovinazzi to slip behind the wheel of his third F1 car of the season. Indeed, while he competed in two Grand Prix for Sauber to cover for Pascal Wehrlein’s absence, he also drove the Ferrari during the private tests in Bahrain.

But on this chilly Friday morning in Silverstone, it was a Haas bearing his name and number as the Scuderia negotiated an agreement with its client to provide driving time to its young protégé.

The young Italian is well aware of the opportunity given to him to participate in seven Friday morning practice sessions in real race weekend conditions: « I want to thank Ferrari and Haas for this opportunity because for a young driver, it’s not easy to get the chance to drive. So, it’s a great opportunity to be able to do these seven sessions. »

The condition is obviously to know if it’s an audition for a potential full-time seat next year. If he doesn’t want to get too committed, we quickly understand who his benchmark is: « I’m focusing on seven FP1s, on doing my job well, and not being too far behind Romain at the end of the year. For next year, we’ll see. »

For this first session, dedicated to acclimating to a new single-seater, the Italian does not have to be embarrassed by the comparison with the Frenchman since he finished just over four-tenths behind but only two places back. He can take satisfaction in having outpaced Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault. It will be interesting to follow his progress in his upcoming appearances.

From our special correspondent in Silverstone