Giovinazzi gets Haas practice outings - could it be a path back to F1?
The 28-year-old Italian will drive for Haas during opening practice at Monza and COTA, with regular drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher taking it in turns to vacate their seat for one session each.
Ferrari reserve Giovinazzi, who previously made seven FP1 appearances with Haas back in 2017, made the switch to Formula E with Dragon Penske after losing his Alfa Romeo F1 seat at the end of the 2021 season.
Having made his F1 debut in 2017 with Sauber, Giovinazzi returned to F1 on a full-time basis with Alfa Romeo, contesting 60 races and scoring a total of 21 points between 2019 and 2021.
Haas say that Ferrari were keen to provide Giovinazzi with the opportunity to get some seat time in the new-generation F1 cars.
“We’re happy to welcome Antonio Giovinazzi back to the team for the two FP1 outings,” said Haas team principal Guenther Steiner.
“Ferrari were keen to give Antonio some seat time in a current-spec Formula 1 car on a race weekend and we were naturally happy to assist.
"We enjoyed a similar situation back in 2017 with Antonio and Ferrari – the clear difference between then and now is the experience he’ll have gained competing for the previous three seasons in Formula 1 and the feedback he’ll be able to give us in Italy and America.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Antonio again and having him back in the paddock with us.”
Giovinazzi’s outings will not fulfil Haas’ requirement to run a rookie driver during two practice sessions in 2022.
“I’m so glad to have the chance to drive again in official F1 sessions,” said Giovinazzi.
“Besides simulator driving it is important to test a true car and I can’t wait to put my suit and helmet back on. It’ll be an opportunity to get confident with the new generation cars – it’s the best way to be ready if I were called as reserve driver.
"Driving on challenging and exciting tracks as Monza and COTA makes it even more thrilling. Thanks to Haas F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari – I’m looking forward to giving my contribution to the team that counted on me already in 2017.”
An audition for a 2023 F1 seat?
Upon losing his Alfa Romeo seat at the end of last season, Giovinazzi made it clear that he wanted to return to the F1 grid.
A difficult rookie Formula E campaign - in which Giovinazzi finished 23rd in the drivers’ championship - will have done little to have changed the Italian’s ambition of sealing a return to F1.
While Giovinazzi’s call up has been explained as being a request of Haas’ engine supplier Ferrari, it raises further questions about the 2023 driver market, which exploded into life just before F1’s summer break.
Mick Schumacher’s future at Haas remains uncertain, with the German on course to become a free agent at the end of the season when his current contract expires.
Giovinazzi was believed to be in the frame to take the seat of the ousted Nikita Mazepin before Magnussen signed a multi-year deal on the eve of the season.
He has also been mooted as a potential replacement for Schumacher, who has recently been linked with Alpine. The Anglo-French outfit only have one driver under contract for 2023 following Fernando Alonso’s shock switch to midfield rival Aston Martin.
