Giovinazzi: Ferrari has set "clear" targets for me in 2021 F1 season
Alfa Romeo Formula 1 driver and Ferrari protege Antonio Giovinazzi says the Maranello team has set clear targets for him in 2021 as he embarks on his third full season
Following a difficult rookie year alongside Kimi Raikkonen in 2019, Giovinazzi's form improved in his sophomore campaign.
He ran his vastly more experienced team-mate Raikkonen much closer as the pair finished 2020 with four points each, while Giovinazzi narrowly outqualified the 2007 world champion by nine to eight.
Giovinazzi did enough to convince Ferrari, which gets to pick one of Alfa Romeo's seats, to grant him a third season at the Swiss customer team. Ferrari opted to place Formula 2 champion Mick Schumacher at Haas instead.
Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseur told Autosport he hopes Giovinazzi can continue his upward trajectory in 2021 and become more of a team leader.
Giovinazzi says Ferrari has also set "clear" targets for him in his third campaign.
"For Ferrari it's quite clear - they want that I continue to progress [as] a driver and to get the results," Giovinazzi told Autosport.
"This is quite clear also from my side, so it's my target for next season.
"And from the other side I want to just again work really well with the team like we worked in together in these last two seasons, and for me I feel like family already [here] because it will be my third season.
"It's nice to work again together, and with Kimi as well. Like this it would be just more easy to progress [as] a driver as well."
Both Raikkonen and Giovinazzi struggled to get many points on the board in 2020 with an uncompetitive car, not helped by Ferrari's lack of engine performance.
Giovinazzi acknowledged that his own personal progress will inevitably be linked to his machinery but praised his team for how it stayed motivated despite the lack of results.
"Hopefully we have a better car and [it is] more easy to be in the points," the 27-year-old Italian added.
"Hopefully we can have a big improvement in terms of performance. And then also in terms of results.
"I think for the team, when you are there in the back, it's not easy. I always try to push my guys, the team, to do always well.
"I think in the end we did quite well - I always see the guys quite motivated.
"Of course when you score points, it's always in the next race you feel that the motivation is much higher, but I cannot complain with my guys, with my team, because they always push quite hard and it's nice to see in this difficult season."
AlphaTauri to launch AT02 F1 car on 19 February
F1 to consider sprint race trial in 2021 with reversed grids shelved
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1’s champion isn’t fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow