Giovinazzi drawn to Formula E by chance to win
Antonio Giovinazzi in the Alfa Romeo garage on sprint qualifying day for the Italian Grand Prix. Monza September 2021.
Having spent his time in F1 struggling to score points, Antonio Giovinazzi is hoping to win his first race since 2016 when he competes in Formula E next season.
Dropped by Alfa Romeo in favour of rookie driver Guanyu Zhou, a move that Giovinazzi feels was dictated by money, the Italian is off to Formula E for the 2022 season.
He has signed with the Dragon Penske Autosports team and has spent the past two days putting in the laps at the Valencia circuit in preparation for his debut campaign.
Although not able to break into the top-ten on either day, Giovinazzi is hoping for success when he lines up on the grid in the electric car series.
Dragon’s last win though, came in the same year that Giovinazzi last tasted the victory champagne, 2016.
That year the Formula E team won the Mexico City E-Prix while the driver claimed his last of five GP2 wins at the Sepang feature race.
All eyes on testing!@Anto_Giovinazzi is on track for the first time with @DragonRacing_FE
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) November 29, 2021
“For sure they have had difficult seasons but in Formula E we see different winners, so you never know what will happen,” Giovinazzi told The Race.
“I only found out I lost the [F1] seat in November and that was not ideal, but I like first of all to compete in this championship to be motivated and also to work with a with a team like Dragon.
“They did some podiums, and they did great a few years ago.
“But I think FE is something different from F1, in that you know that you will go to a race and Mercedes and Red Bull will win the race.
“You never know what will happen [in Formula E], so we’ll see, and we are working for this, and you can never quit.”
Giovinazzi’s first Formula E test with Dragon didn’t quite go according to plan.
The 27-year-old finished Wednesday’s running down in 17th place and earned himself a penalty for exceeding track limits.
His next run in a Formula E car will be at the 2022 season-opening Diriyah E-Prix.
“We will do a lot of nights in the sim, as there’s not much time,” he added.
“Of course you want always more, but it will be like this.”
PlanetF1 Verdict
Giovinazzi reveals Formula E attraction
Antonio Giovinazzi was drawn to FE by the chance of winning.