AUSTIN, Texas – Officials from the Alfa Romeo Formula One team have announced that Antonio Giovinazzi will return to the team for the 2020 season.

The 25-year-old Italian is in his first season in Formula One as a teammate to veteran Kimi Raikkonen. He has scored four championship points this season as a rookie.

“I am very happy to be staying with the team for 2020,” said Giovinazzi. “I am grateful for the incredible level of support I received in my first full season in Formula One: everyone in the team has stuck by my side since I joined and I am really looking forward to continuing our journey together. We learned a lot this year and I am confident we can make a big step forward next season. I won’t be a rookie anymore so there won’t be any excuses for me: I want to be competitive right from the start of the championship and repay the confidence the team has shown in me.”

“Antonio has done really well this year and I am extremely pleased to be able to confirm he will stay with Alfa Romeo Racing for 2020,” said Frédéric Vasseur, team principal of Alfa Romeo Racing and CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG. “The way he has integrated into the team and has consistently improved throughout his first full season in the sport are very promising and we cannot wait to unlock his full potential as we continue to work together. Antonio has emerged as a very quick driver, even alongside as tough a benchmark as Kimi, and we expect him to develop even further as his experience grows. His technical feedback, work ethics and positive approach will help us continue to push our team forward, and so will the consistency of an unchanged line-up for next season.”