Giovinazzi keen to learn lessons from Kimi Raikkonen

Antonio Giovinazzi says he couldn't have a better team-mate for 2019 as he is desperate to learn lessons from the most experienced driver on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen will return to Sauber where he started his career, while Giovinazzi gets his first full-time seat in F1 at the same team.

The Italian has already made his F1 debut. Last season he replaced injured Pascal Wehrlein at two Grands Prix but failed to score any points. He's keen to get going and having Raikkonen as a teammate can only help him develop.

“From my side, Kimi would be the best teammate,” Giovinazzi told Crash.

“He has a lot of experience. If you ask something to him, he will for sure help me. I would say is the best teammate to start my F1 career, and I can’t wait also to race beside one world champion. It’s something really good."

Since his last outing in 2017, Giovinazzi expresses how hard he has been working. The 24-year-old has also featured in a couple of FP1 sessions throughout the season.

"It was two long years, a lot of simulator, a lot of relationships with Ferrari engineers,” he explained.

“It was two years really important for me where I learned so much, also from the meetings from Sebastian and Kimi, I learned so much.

“I can say that I’m a lot more ready now than when I jumped in the car in the beginning of 2017.”