The unsung star of F1 2021 so far

After five races so far in the 2021 Formula 1 season, the average scores in Autosport’s driver ratings make for interesting reading (even if we do say so ourselves!). This particularly applies when considering the generation-shifting narrative that appears to be playing out in the championship right now.

Currently, the averages are topped by young McLaren star Lando Norris (21), who has delivered two podium finishes in the opening quintet and his yet to come home without points. Then there’s young Red Bull racer Max Verstappen (23), who just happens to have won two races and currently heads Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings of what is so far shaping up to be an excellent, multi-team title fight. Exactly matching Verstappen’s average so far is Ferrari’s young(er) driver Charles Leclerc (also 23), who has been incredibly fast in what remains a power-deprived package and might’ve scored his first glittering result of the season without his latest home heartbreak last time out.

Then comes young Esteban Ocon (24), who has been burgeoning his reputation by leading the way for Alpine during the early races of Fernando Alonso’s F1 comeback. He too has an identical average-twin right now and they’re both just ahead of Hamilton (and Pierre Gasly). It’s Alfa Romeo’s young ace: Antonio Giovinazzi.

The 27-year-old is now in his third full-time campaign and is really shining. Plus, if just a few things had gone differently at a couple of key moments (mainly in the pitlane), his results would likely look even better.

In the season-opener, Giovinazzi might’ve been the lead Alfa home if he hadn't dropped behind team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who he battled in the early laps, with a slow first pitstop. At Imola he was out-qualified by Raikkonen on the only occasion this has happened so far in 2021 – but can put a pretty big chunk of blame on Nikita Mazepin interfering at the end of Q1. In the Emilia Romagna race, Giovinazzi followed Raikkonen throughout before having to pit late-on with a brake problem, which dropped him down the order.

Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Alfa Romeo F1 Team

In Portugal he was bizarrely hit by Raikkonen in the early laps then chased Sebastian Vettel for most of the rest of the proceedings, beating the Aston Martin in the end after putting in a nice late pass. At Barcelona, he lost ground at the start and then had another pitstop disaster – the strangely punctured new left-front – and then couldn't catch the safety car queue due to confusion over following his delta once he’d finally escaped the pits. But Giovinazzi still recovered a reasonable result with two long stints to the flag. And then came Monaco.

Progressing to Q3 in what was a challenging qualifying session given the cooler temperatures compared to practice was seriously impressive and there was a chance he could’ve qualified a few spots higher had he been able to recreate his Q2 time. In the race, getting briefly stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo after pitting meant Ocon was able to overcut ahead, but Giovinazzi was still able to bring home his best result of the season with 10th. It brought Alfa’s first point of 2021 and included in another bold lap one display (fast starts are a usually a feature of his races).

"The big change he had over the last 12 months is that when he did this kind of move to say 'OK, now let's be focused on myself, I am doing the job, I'm able to do the job, and if I am at 100% of my capacity, I will do a decent job'" Frederic Vasseur

It’s clear Giovinazzi has made significant progress in his third F1 term, but Alfa reckons it began even before the current campaign.

"He clearly did a step in between the two seasons, but it was already like this in the second part of 2020," says Alfa team principal Frederic Vasseur, who was speaking to Autosport's sister site Motorsport.com Italy in an exclusive interview.

"Probably one of the issues he had in the past was that he was too focused on Kimi as a reference, and he has to be focused on himself.

"I think the big change he had over the last 12 months is that when he did this kind of move to say 'OK, now let's be focused on myself, I am doing the job, I'm able to do the job, and if I am at 100% of my capacity, I will do a decent job'. And he did this change of approach.

"It is not easy, because very often the first reference is your team-mate, and now he's taking his own position into the team. And this is also important for us."

Frederic Vasseur, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Alfa Romeo F1 Team

It’s not only his team that will be pleased with how Giovinazzi is performing so far in 2021. His F1 place comes via Ferrari, which he said at the end of last year had set him "clear" targets for his third F1 season. The suggestion was that the Scuderia wanted him to display the step up he has so far delivered.

But it remains rather difficult to assess exactly how far Giovinazzi has come because of Raikkonen’s fortunes in the other Alfa.

F1’s most experienced driver is so far producing rather fluctuating form in 2021, but Giovinazzi’s 4-1 qualifying score shows that the Italian has had the edge on speed. Last year, Giovinazzi pipped Raikkonen 9-8, but, were it not for Mazepin overtaking him at the start of his final Q1 flying lap at Imola, the current intra-Alfa qualifying standings might well read 5-0...

Raikkonen’s results so far in 2021 may mask exactly how big a step Giovinazzi has taken, but at least he is leading the way at Alfa. This could well be an important factor when it comes to the team’s future.

Sauber’s sponsorship deal with Alfa ends at the conclusion of the current campaign and it is not a given that an extension will be agreed upon. This complicates its arrangements for 2022, which of course include its driver line-up.

PLUS: Why Britain's Ferrari-linked F1 hopeful is playing the waiting game

There are several Ferrari juniors eyeing an F1 graduation in Giovinazzi’s footsteps – including one of Alfa’s 2021 reserve drivers, Callum Ilott, who drove for the team in practice at Portimao. But there has also been speculation that Sauber could potentially end its Ferrari engine partnership and link up with Renault, which only supplies Alpine – its rebranded works squad. Right now, Alpine juniors occupy the top two spots in the Formula 2 championship…

But even if Sauber/Alfa did decide to make a change to its previously stable driver line-up for next year, the major regulation changes make a total pilot change logically unwise and promotes retaining at least some stability.

So far in 2021, Giovinazzi is making an excellent case for why he deserves to extend his grand prix racing career.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Monaco GP

Photo by: Alfa Romeo F1 Team