Will Giovinazzi's return provide a twist to 2023 Silly Season

Antonio Giovinazzi will get the chance to drive FP1 for the Haas team at the Grands Prix of Italy and America. It immediately fuels rumours of a possible return to F1, but what has Giovinazzi done since his departure?

F1 debut

In 2019, 2020 and 2021 Giovinazzi drove a total of 60 races for Alfa Romeo's F1 team, but in 2017 he already made his debut for the team in Formula 1, then still under the Sauber name. He then replaced the injured Pascal Wehrlein. However, the latter was back for the third GP of the season.

In his three full seasons in F1, Giovinazzi never really managed to convince. Alongside Kimi Raikkonen, he underperformed in his first season, while in his second he was closer to the Finn. He scored four points in his first season and three in his second. It was not enough to convince Frederic Vasseur.

While the Italian might have hoped to lead the team, the management didn't think he was good enough. Valtteri Bottas was brought in for the job and apart from the Finn, Alfa Romeo had someone else in mind. Guanyu Zhou became Bottas' new teammate, and so Giovinazzi had to leave.

Criticism on money from Zhou

On social media, Giovinazzi made himself heard. The Italian was angry that the money of the Chinese was apparently more important than performance on the track. Although Alfa Romeo has always claimed that money did not play a crucial role in the deal, the role of the Chinese sponsors that Zhou brings with him is significant.

Giovinazzi also had no place left with another F1 team, so he left for Formula E, where he was given the chance with the Dragon Penske Autosport team. In fifteen races he did not score a single point, unlike Sergio Sette Camara who did score two points for the team.

So his first year in FE was not exactly a success, but that does not diminish his reputation in F1. In early 2022, Giovinazzi was named as a possible replacement for Nikita Mazepin and, at the start of the season, as a possible replacement for the underperforming Mick Schumacher. Rumours about Schumacher are still swirling and the announcement of Giovinazzi's tests for Haas will not diminish them.

Test for Haas

Giovinazzi is listed as a reserve driver for Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Haas in 2022, but he has not yet been required to drive. In 2022, all teams are required to use two sessions to put a rookie in the car, but his two seasons in F1 mean Giovinazzi does not fit this profile. A chance for miles in the new generation of F1 cars thus seemed to pass him by.

The news from Haas was therefore a surprise on Monday morning. Especially the timing, because the first training he will drive is only in a little less than three weeks in Italy. Yet it is not completely out of the blue, because the second seat for 2023 at Haas is still uncertain.

While Alfa Romeo makes its own choices with Zhou and Bottas in 2022 and no longer wants to be a B-team of Ferrari, the seat of Mick Schumacher at Haas is one of Ferrari's. Guenther Steiner announced that he had approached the engine supplier for a talent and that Schumacher was put forward as the ideal candidate.

Schumacher scored his first points for Haas, but the German was nevertheless linked to various teams. He was previously mentioned as a possible successor to Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin, but more recently he has also been linked with Alpine. There he would have to make up for the absence of Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri alongside Esteban Ocon.

The fact that Giovinazzi will get a chance to test at Haas will only fuel those rumours even more. It's no secret that Giovinazzi (being Italian) is in good standing within Ferrari's training, so if Haas needs a new junior, it may well end up with Giovinazzi. Robert Shartzman, Callum Ilott and Arthur Leclerc are also under contract at Ferrari, but don't seem to have a claim to an F1 seat. Giovinazzi will therefore be keen to complete the tests for Haas in order to force a return to F1.