Giovinazzi: "Simulator is especially important for mental training"

Last season was the first full season for Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian had already raced two Grands Prix for the then Sauber, but last season he could join Alfa Romeo for the first time as a regular driver. After an exciting first year he finished in the general classification behind his team mate Kimi Raikonnen, but the end of the year was pretty strong for the Italian. He would have liked to continue the upward trend towards 2020.

Due to the coronavirus he has to wait before he can get back on the track, but until then the driver knows how to have a good time. "The simulator at home is very important at the moment. Of course it's nothing compared to the real simulator in the factory, but it's especially useful for mental training", Giovinazzi told Motorsport.com. "It helps to keep you focused for a long time, now that you can't do that with real racing". 

Ready to race

Before Giovinazzi was allowed to race at Alfa Romeo, he was a simulator driver at Ferrari for two years. He knows very well what the perfect preparation for a Grand Prix is. "In a simulator, you can really 'feel' the car. This allows you to give the right feedback prior to a race weekend". The first race weekend in more than half a year is almost upon us, now that everything seems to be finished in Austria. 

"During these three months I have been very busy with my mentally. Together with my trainer we have worked a lot on the mental aspect. For example, I try to control stress. A driver has to be able to drive more than twenty races in a season. So it is important that you are physically and mentally strong," Giovinazzi concluded.