Antonio Giovinazzi has said he’s pleased with the pace he has in relation to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen this season.
In his first full season in the sport, the Alfa Romeo man has only beaten the Finn in one race and has 30 points less, but he’s happy with where he is pace wise nonetheless.
“From Paul Ricard, but also before, Monaco, I was always really close to Kimi, so I think in qualifying I’m there now, the performance is there,” he said as per f1i.com.
“I was struggling a bit in races but missing two years is not easy, but in races, we’re coming better.
“I’m sure the team knows this improvement and we are working really hard together, the team gives me big support to improve and so far we’re doing a good job.
“I think [the] performance is there, speed is there, [but the] points are not there, for many things.”
The Italian first drove in F1 in 2017 when he deputised for the injured Pascal Wehrlein, and he admits the two-year break from the sport is something he’s struggled with.
“It’s not easy, already if you miss two years without racing, in the end, I did only two races in 2017 and then in 2018 only one race, Le Mans, which is completely different from here,” Giovinazzi added.
“Then come back to F1, the best of motorsport is not really easy, but like I said at the beginning of the season I knew already my target was improving race by race. Take that feeling back, and this is what I’m doing.
“I started struggling a bit more, but in these last few races the pace is there compared to Kimi so I need to be happy with my performance.”
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