Antonio Giovinazzi reckons Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN’s first points finish of the 2021 season will motivate everyone within the team, with the Italian scoring a tenth-place finish in last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
On a circuit where overtaking would have been easier, the Italian feels an eighth-place result could have been possible, but after being jumped by both Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon during the pit stop cycle, he was forced to follow the Alpine F1 Team driver all the way to the chequered flag.
Despite losing the two places in the pit lane, Giovinazzi feels the feeling of scoring points for the first time in 2021 will boost the confidence of everyone within the Alfa Romeo team.
“It’s really good to finally be back in the points,” said Giovinazzi. “The pace throughout the weekend was really good and this top-ten finish is the reward for it.
“On a different track, where overtaking is possible, we could have been in P8, but we need to be happy with this result and the way the team delivered an excellent weekend. We have done a lot of progress and this point will work as a good motivation for all of us, with so many races still ahead of us.
“I’m looking forward to Baku now, another street race on a track I love. If we produce another great weekend like this, we will have all it takes to bring home another good result.”
“We showed some good pace and this should help us in the next races” – Kimi Räikkönen
Team-mate Kimi Räikkönen, who lost a top ten finish earlier in the season when he was handed a post-race penalty in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, had a relatively straightforward Monaco Grand Prix, with the Finn ending just outside the points in eleventh.
The veteran former World Champion felt Alfa Romeo showed good pace throughout the weekend in Monaco, but despite this he found overtaking around the street circuit almost impossible and left him just outside of the top ten when it mattered.
“It wasn’t the busiest afternoon for me today, we moved up a few places but not much else happened,” said Räikkönen. “That’s how it often goes here.
“We showed some good pace and this should help us in the next races, but here in Monaco passing is so hard even if you have a big pace advantage. It is what it is but we can be happy for the team scoring its first point of the season.”
