Antonio Giovinazzi has outlined that maintaining his Italian Grand Prix form is crucial for his prospects of remaining in Formula 1 next season.
The Italian stepped up full-time to the championship this year with Alfa Romeo, having spent two years as Ferrari’s reserve driver, and has been largely shaded by Kimi Raikkonen.
Giovinazzi, though, was on course for points in Belgium – until a penultimate lap crash – and in Italy raced to ninth position to secure his best result in the championship.
Giovinazzi is ostensibly occupying the seat at Alfa Romeo upon which Ferrari has an influence, and there are understood to be a lack of alternatives within its camp for 2020.
One option is understood to be Nico Hulkenberg, who is out of contract at Renault, and whose prospects of joining Haas are over after Romain Grosjean was retained.
“Honestly, I just know that I need to do well, continue like I did at Monza, keep the pace,” he said.
“Since Paul Ricard, I would say in qualifying it’s really close to Kimi, I’m really happy with that.
“My main thing at the beginning was race pace but I was coming from two years without racing, now it’s coming better and better, now I want to put always every weekend altogether.
“I think if I have a good result nobody can take my seat for next year.”
Giovinazzi added: “I always race with pressure, already from go-karts, as I had not the money to continue.
“In Formula Abarth, Formula 3, Formula 2, with Gelael [the family who backed his career], I knew if the result was not well they would change the driver.
“Maybe Formula 1 is maybe more, but it’s part of the game, I would say, the pressure in F1, so I need to play also with that one.”
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