Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is backing Antonio Giovinazzi as his seat at Alfa Romeo becomes the new target for Nico Hulkenberg.
The Italian has struggled to make a permanent impression in his first full season but has shown signs of progress, including his best result in Formula 1 at the last race in Monza.
And with Ferrari having a strong influence over who takes the place alongside Kimi Raikkonen, while Hulkenberg presents a good option to the Swiss team, Binotto isn’t ready to give up on Giovinazzi yet.
“There was a mistake in Belgium which undoubtedly penalised him, but he was in the points, and then confirmed himself in the top 10 also at Monza,” he said via PlanetF1.
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“Antonio is growing, but he also needs to be supported as he deserves.
“At the moment I don’t think he’s as calm as he should be, so I think it’s right to make him feel the confidence of Ferrari, as he’s one of our drivers.
“Now Antonio has important races ahead of him in which he can confirm his growth.
“It’s not a test, but it’s an opportunity to prove what he’s already shown in his last races.”
One reason Ferrari is prepared to be patient with Giovinazzi has been his lack of racing in recent years with just two appearances with Sauber at the start of 2017 and a run at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
“This season he has not yet had the opportunity to show his full potential, but there are several aspects to take into account,” Binotto explained.
“The first, and I think the most important, is the one related to the two years of inactivity on the racetrack.
“We have seen how Antonio’s performance in qualifying has progressively improved, coming very close to Kimi’s performance, while in the race he still pays something, especially wheel-to-wheel.
“I think it’s due to the lack of confidence that can be linked to the two years of forced absence, but what really matters is the positive trend.”
Ferrari’s opinion is likely to be crucial in determining if Hulkenberg has any chance of the seat in 2020 and based on this, the final seven races are likely to be very important indeed.