“Felt One Step Down to Him”- Antonio Giovinazzi Reflects on Former Ferrari Boss Marchionne’s Influence

Italian racer Antonio Giovinazzi is a promising youngster. Driving for  Alfa Romeo, Antonio was signed up by Ferrari back in 2016 to be their reserve driver. His professional debut came in as a replacement in Sauber in 2017. In 2019, he signed for Alfa Romeo driving under the Italian flag.

Every person has some people in their lives who influence them for the better. They guide them and make sure they take the right path to success.

Antonio Giovinazzi is not an exception. In the podcast of F1: Beyond The Grid, he reveals his amazing relationship with Sergio Marchionne among other stories about his life.

Sergio Marchionne inspired Antonio to join Ferrari

Antonio joined Ferrari as their 3rd and reserve driver back in 2017. He mentions that it was Marchionne himself who influenced him to join the Italian side.

“Yeah I think you know back in 2016, he was the man that want me really on the Ferrari family, and yeah because of him I went to Ferrari in the end of 2016. He was a really clever man and really straight as well. I think I remember the first meeting I had with him. It was really difficult to speak with him because you felt always one step down to him”, he stated.

The initial meeting was quite intimidating for the Italian. However, it is certain from his speech that Antonio will forever be indebted to Sergio for his contribution and guidance.

“But in the end, I think that he was one of the smarter men I’ve ever met and for me, it’s just a privilege. The opportunity to work with him always, as you see you know you talk about the right point for me it was three-person really important for my career. My dad, Galael Ricardo, and then Sergio Marchionne. Because he wanted me to be in Ferrari and I’m also here because of him.”

Antonio Giovinazzi in Formula 1 so far

Starting his professional career with Sauber as a replacement, he joined Alfa Romeo in 2019. Securing the top 10 slots on 4 occasions, Antonio secured 14 points and stood 17th in the Championship ranking.

In 2020, a 9th position finish in Austria is the best he’s had so far. The rest of them are all in the mid-table leagues. With 2 points he stands 16th. However, we do have quite a few races left in this season. Hopefully, he’ll be looking forward to notching up some points and ultimately going up in the listing.