Antonio Giovinazzi claims Formula 1 can be "ruthless when money rules" after his Alfa Romeo exit was announced on Tuesday.
The Italian will leave the Swiss team after five seasons, three of which were as a full-time race driver, to be replaced by Formula 2 driver and Alpine junior Guanyu Zhou.
Giovinazzi's stint has been less than spectacular with just eight top 10s and only his best result of fifth in Brazil in 2019 being better than P9.
Even so, team boss Fred Vasseur paid tribute to the 27-year-old.
“Saying goodbye to a driver is never easy, especially so in the case of Antonio, who has been part of the team for so long," he commented.
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"As we part ways, we will cherish the memories of the good times and learn lessons from the bad ones, knowing these moments all made us grow together as a team.
"We wish Antonio the best for his future after the 2021 season: before then, we still have three races to achieve some good results together and finish the year strongly.”
However, Giovinazzi, who has had run-ins with the team in recent races, was pretty certain about why he was being dropped when reacting on Twitter.
@F1 is emotion, talent, cars, risk, speed. But when money rules it can be ruthless.
— Antonio Giovinazzi (@Anto_Giovinazzi) November 16, 2021
I believe in the surprise of an unexpected result, of big or small victories achieved thanks to one’s commitment.
If this was my first picture on a F1, the last still has to be taken 💪 pic.twitter.com/atAw5FwtRm
