One milestone which escaped attention amidst the polarising Australian Grand Prix was the debut of Antonio Giovinazzi.
The 23-year-old, drafted in by Sauber to cover Pascal Wehrlein, became the first Italian to grace the grid since 2011 when Jarno Trulli and Vitantonio Liuzzi competed in their final campaigns.
That he only set foot in the car from Saturday once the German – having struggled to regain fitness following his Race of Champions incident in January – deemed himself unfit to compete for the balance on the weekend. This rendered the Ferrari reserve driver’s subsequent performance even more laudable.
Sixteenth in qualifying following a solitary practice session – ahead of a Haas, McLaren, Williams, and Renault (the latter were admittedly compromised following practice incidents), he didn’t appear out of his depth.
While Giovinazzi crossed the line in twelfth on Sunday, with only the besieged McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne trailing, the Italian acquitted himself with a clean afternoon in the sport’s first affair with the newly brutalised machinery, which has already caught out fellow debutant, Lance Stroll on several occasions.
Fresh from GP2 – where rapidly degrading tyres are a central factor, the category’s 2016 runner-up confessed that Pirelli’s now durable rubber led to a conservative effort. “I took it really easy, just to understand the tyres… and the car”, he remarked.
Deputising for Wehrlein at the opening test was undoubtedly valuable, yet being thrust into the deep end at short notice has the potential to unnerve even the most promising driver, and the Italian appeared as though he belonged on account of his output at Melbourne.
Though the Italian is likely to return to a reserve capacity from next month’s Chinese Grand Prix, he is certain to have left a lasting impression on Ferrari, who must be keeping an eye on the future as fresh talents emerge.
While Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel marched to an imperious victory, Kimi Räikkönen endured an indifferent race, characterised by struggles with understeer and ultimately did well to fend off Max Verstappen for fourth position.
The 2007 World Champion had been tipped to excel in tandem with the new regulations which are akin to those witnessed in the previous decade, though at thirty-seven, is closer to the finish line (pun intended) than most.
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Ferrari has traditionally been reluctant to promote a rookie into the main seat, with Felipe Massa’s ascension in 2006 at rising twenty-five with three seasons under his belt the closest the Maranello outfit has come to running unproven talent.
The Brazilian vindicated his initially derided promotion with eleven victories, culminating in his 2008 title near-miss, until his untimely accident at Hungary in 2009 cruelled his momentum on his return.
Jules Bianchi had formed part of Ferrari’s long-term planning until his tragic passing, and with all due respect to Räikkönen, has been forced to persist with the Finn, who has produced solid if not spectacular results which have gradually improved since commencing his second tenure in 2014.
The desire for an Italian to represent the fabled marque is high on Ferrari’s priority list and its brief association with Giancarlo Fisichella’s in 2009 is largely anonymous considering the team’s uncompetitive season, thus they are unlikely to be deterred by nationalistic motives.
Verstappen is blossoming at Red Bull, while McLaren’s current situation belies Vandoorne’s prodigious ability, both representing the future of the sport, it’s only natural that Ferrari will be keen to boast its own fixture for the coming decade.
Whether Ferrari is emboldened and takes a leap of faith as soon as next season or bides its time by placing Giovinazzi to pasture at a customer outfit, the Italian shapes as the Prancing Horse’s long awaited home grown talent.
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