Raikkonen advice excites Giovinazzi

Joas van Wingerden
Friday 14 December 2018 12:20

Antonio Giovinazzi is sure that he will be given a helping hand by Kimi Raikkonen when the pair team up at Sauber in 2019. Ferrari junior driver Giovinazzi may have sights set on following in the footsteps of Charles Leclerc's after the Monegasque's promotion to the Scuderia after his rookie season at Sauber.

Giovinazzi has raced twice previously in F1, filling in for the injured Pascal Wehrlein for the first two races of the 2017 campaign at Sauber, however 2019 will be his first full-time campaign since the 2016 GP2 campaign, in which he finished second to Pierre Gasly.

The Italian has tested extensively in F1 for Sauber, Haas and Ferrari, but says working with former world champion Raikkonen will aid his development even more.

"Charles said he talked to Vettel from time to time and Kimi a little," Giovinazzi told Sky Italia.

AG99 is back ????#memories #minikart pic.twitter.com/mWwJRVE8nY — Antonio Giovinazzi (@Anto_Giovinazzi) December 3, 2018

"But on the day of testing I talked with him a lot, like never before.

"He is very motivated by this new experience, so as a world champion who is winning again he will help me to develop and will not deny me any help."

Raikkonen finished third in last year's drivers' championship, but will make way for Leclerc to become Ferrari's second youngest driver in the team's F1 history.

The Finn is returning to Sauber, the team he debuted with in F1 in 2001.

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