Antonio Giovinazzi returns to Imola as Ferrari’s third driver after 6 Hours victory. Antonio Giovinazzi returns to Ferrari’s F1 garage at Imola as third driver after his recent 6 Hours WEC victory.

Antonio Giovinazzi returns to Ferrari’s box at Imola
In Formula 1, he raced at Imola only twice, in 2020 and 2021, without ever scoring points. The story is very different for Antonio Giovinazzi in WEC behind the wheel of the so far dominant Ferrari 499P: the 31-year-old from Puglia recently celebrated victory in the 6 Hours race held on the circuit named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari. He took great satisfaction in winning the home race wearing the fans’ most beloved red.

“It was the first time I won a home race with Ferrari,” explains the endurance world championship leader, who this weekend will be in the Ferrari F1 garage as third driver, “and it was simply fantastic. A feeling comparable to winning at Le Mans, because it came during an unforgettable weekend with many fans on track already from Thursday to cheer us on.”

Recalling the 6 Hours WEC victory
“The whole team was perfect,” adds Antonio Giovinazzi, “and there were so many people under the podium singing the anthem with us. A real Italian celebration. It would be great to replicate it soon also in Formula 1.” A much tougher goal to achieve, especially since at Maranello they are working hard to solve the problems affecting the SF-25, and it’s not certain the solution is around the corner. Meanwhile, rivals are pulling away, and it’s no coincidence that team principal Frederic Vasseur speaks only vaguely about “maximizing the potential available” as the true objective for the Emilia-Romagna GP weekend.

Characteristics of the Imola circuit
Antonio Giovinazzi also talked about the track’s features: “The first unmistakable thing, even before getting on track, is the huge number of fans who come to support Ferrari. This makes the race even more special, which I really like because it takes place on an old-style and very technical circuit. At Imola you jump on the curbs even with F1 cars, it’s not easy to overtake because the track is narrow and the asphalt offers a lot of grip. It almost feels like racing on a street circuit, where every mistake is costly. If I had to pick a corner, I would say Acque Minerali, because it’s really difficult to take… It’s downhill, there’s a lot of combined braking (when the driver brakes and steers at the same time) and it’s also important to use the curbs well there.”