Giovinazzi keen to use Raikkonen's experience to boost F1 form

Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi has declared that he aims to use the vast experience of teammate Kimi Raikkonen to help curtail the struggles for race pace that have maligned the early part of his 2019 season.

The Italian, who scored  his first points in Formula 1 at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, has struggled heavily with race pace to his own admission in the first third of the season, with Giovinazzi stating that, "this is something I need to improve on."

"I am a little more aggressive than him but he is better with the race pace. This is something i need to improve on my side because last time I raced full-time it was 2016 and since then all I've done is two 24 hours of Le Mans and a couple two with Sauber," said Giovinazzi

"Having a teammate like Kimi can help me improve faster and it is what I'm doing," he continued.

"Also, in the race he knows what he is doing, he knows what he wants and in the end he puts it all together. I need to see what he is doing and use it myself."

The Italian then praised his former world champion teammate, describing 'the Iceman' as a "really fast driver" in spite of his advancing years, highlighting his US Grand Prix success for Ferrari twelve months ago.

“He is still a really fast driver, and just last year he won a race with Ferrari,” he said. “Plus he is able to put it all together when you need to, but this comes with experience. Obviously, he has a lot of experience."

The differences between himself and Raikkonen

Giovinazzi also reflected upon the differences between himself and Raikkonen in regards to their driving styles, with the Italian suggesting that they wish for similar characteristics out of their cars, despite their differing driving styles.

He stated: “We are different drivers and have different styles of driving but we are able to work in the same direction and this helps the team improve the car."