( PR4US.com | Press Release | 2020-11-02 08:39:19 )
Antonio Giovinazzi (car number 99):
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
Race result: 10th
Fastest lap: 1:18.794
Tyres: New Medium (10 laps) – New Hard (53 laps)

“I am really happy for the team’s result and, of course, for scoring points in my home Grand Prix. It has been a very strong race, especially starting from last place, and finishing in the top ten really was the most we could do. Our strategy was good and climbing six places in the first lap definitely helped. It’s a nice way to celebrate signing a new contract and I am grateful to everyone in the team for today’s race.”

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix delivered a third race of lights-to-flag thrills on Italian soil this season; it also, most importantly, delivered the team’s first double-points finish of the year as Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished ninth and tenth respectively.

Another great start by our drivers, who leapt from 18th and 20th on the grid to 16th (Kimi) and 14th (Antonio), set the scene for a true comeback tale. Antonio, starting on softs, was among the first to stop while Kimi managed to stretch his stint on medium tyres all the way to lap 48. A late Safety Car, just minutes after Kimi’s stop, seemed to scupper our chances to rescue points from the race, but there was going to be a happy ending for our afternoon this time around.

Kimi and Antonio kept their cool in the chaotic restart stages, climbing to P9 and P10 and defending their position to the chequered flag, bringing home the best team result of the season so far. The three points gained today bring our total to eight, cementing our P8 in the championship with four rounds to go.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN and CEO Sauber Motorsport AG: “The team has delivered a strong performance as a whole. The strategy calls were good, the pit-stops went well and, of course, the drivers executed their races without putting a wheel wrong. Bringing home our first double-points finish of the season is a good reward for our efforts today. There is still a lot of work to do, of course, but we are making progress and we were in the right place to take advantage of how the race unfolded.”