“Antonio Giovinazzi, I’m actually really sad to see him leaving” – Pierre Gasly counts the Italian as one of his closest friends in the paddock, alongside Charles Leclerc and AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Formula 1 is a brutal sport, where factors apart from driving and performance merit play a role in your presence in the grid.
The latest to learn this the hard way is the ‘Italian Jesus’ Antonio Giovinazzi, who has been replaced in the Alfa Romeo outfit by Guanyu Zhou, set to be China’s first-ever Formula 1 driver.
Zhou has performed strongly in F2 and had a strong shot for the title, ultimately losing out to Oscar Piastri, who too shockingly did not get a seat in the premier division. Giovinazzi, meanwhile, will now ply his trade in Formula E, having acquired by Dragon/Penske Autosport.
Him no more being a part of the Formula 1 grid has saddened his good friend Pierre Gasly. He considers the Ferrari product one of his three closest friends – along with Charles Leclerc and teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
“Antonio Giovinazzi, I’m actually really sad to see him leaving the paddock because he’s a very good guy and just a very nice person.”
“Charles clearly is my best friend in the paddock. Yuki – after this season, you know, spending a lot of time together, I do have a very good relationship with him.
“I get on pretty much with everyone, but I would say these three are obviously the closest.”
