Antonio Giovinazzi Narrates His Ordeal of Dealing With No Team Radio During the Portuguese GP

Antonio Giovinazzi is in his third year with Alfa Romeo. The Italian, straight out from the FDA, took to the cockpit well. Although Schumacher Jr threatened his seat for some time, the Hinwil outfit stuck to Antonio.

The Italian has not disappointed Alfa Romeo, and to top that, he shares a solid bond with Raikkonen. Thus, there was no particular reason for the team to drop him. Besides, Giovinazzi’s no radio performance at Portimao was not as bad as it could have been.

Giovinazzi confesses that he catered this fantasy of having a radio-less race, something common in many young racers. Racing at 300 miles per hour without radio interference. Ah! heaven, you suppose. Well, Giovinazzi dreads it now, after Portimao.

“I don’t want to hide the fact that I’m one of those drivers who dreamed of competing in a race without funk and completely on my own. But after the experience of Portimao, I have to say: I don’t want that experience again, because it was really difficult,” remarked the Italian.

The cars, the tires, the strategies, nothing to distract the racer, just sheer speed. Well, that is not what a racer would think today. Neither does Antonio.

“The drivetrains that we have now are very complicated to use in the race. You really need someone on the pit wall to help you make the right settings,” continued Giovinazzi.

Read More – CONFIRMED: Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi to Stay at Alfa Romeo F1 Next Season

Antonio Giovinazzi outlines all he missed without radio

Races in this era see a change in strategy while the race is on. Besides that, there are several other pieces of information the racer receives on the radio. For example, debris on the track, distance from other racers, and safety car alerts. Without a radio, it turns out to be very difficult for the pilot.

“There is tire management, the racing strategy, which is changing It quickly becomes clear how important communication with the team is.

When you can’t talk to each other, it’s hard to make the best decisions.”

“It wasn’t nice not to hear anyone talking for an hour and a half. Sometimes you want to be quiet so you can focus on a certain moment in the race can concentrate,” added Giovinazzi.

The radio engineers at the pit wall are experts sitting back to help the racer. With years of experience and an overview of the entire race, their expertise is necessary for the racers’ confidence. Antonio expressed how much he overlooked without the radio.

“On the first lap the wheels locked, which affected the tires. Since I couldn’t communicate with the team that was seeing the telemetry, I didn’t know how serious it was.

” I also had some important settings to make on the power unit, and I wasn’t sure how,” recalled Antonio.

The Italian has learned his lesson about fantasies. He realized it is a difficult ordeal to race at a Grand Prix today without the radio input from the team. He highlights that if he would have had the radio support, he would have fared well.

Read More – HILARIOUS: Kimi Raikkonen Leaves Teammate Antonio Giovinazzi Terrified With his Driving