Giovinazzi “Really Proud” to Represent Ferrari at Le Mans

Antonio Giovinazzi viewed representing Ferrari upon its return to top class competition at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a “privilege” hailing the French endurance classic as one of the ‘top three’ events in his racing career.

The Italian driver is set for his second start at Le Mans, returning to the event five years after he made his debut in 2018 in a GTE-Pro class AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE with Toni Vilander and Pipo Derani.

He then moved to a full-time racing role in Formula 1 with Alfa Romeo. After three seasons, he joined Ferrari’s Le Mans Hypercar program to race alongside James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Giovinazzi said that he still holds fond memories from his first time racing at Le Mans, although he admitted he forgot many details.

“It’s a long time ago,” he told Sportscar365. “But especially the track, it was one of the best races of my career.

“You see the passion here is crazy. People are here for 24 hours in the grandstand, just trying to support you, follow you.

“So this year is 100 years for this event, 50 years that Ferrari is back in this race in the top class. So let’s enjoy.

“I think we have a fast car and we can put some pressure to Toyota, that I think is the main competitor.

“I’m just really proud, proud to be here, proud to be with Ferrari. Ferrari will be back [in the top class] after 50 years.

“I’m an Italian driver, so when I’m racing in a red suit, it’s always a privilege. Now let’s do history with them in this category that I think we deserve.”

The 29-year-old spoke highly of the event, ranking it among some of the top races in his career.

“It’s top three for sure. Racing in F1 in Monaco, Monza for me was special. But being racing here in Le Mans in a Ferrari is something special as well.”

Giovinazzi recorded a top-five finish during his previous Le Mans appearance, finishing fifth in class as the leading GTE-Pro Ferrari.

Despite racing at the event previously, he anticipated that he won’t be able to carry over much knowledge from that race to this year’s edition.

“I’d say that it’s not much because I was racing with the GT [car],” he said. “I remember racing and watching more of the cars behind to give enough space and survive in the traffic.

“Here with the Hypercar you are the faster car, so you need to just focus on overtaking the other cars. In the night as well, I remember it was really tricky.

“But in the Hypercar it will be different. So, fortunately it was an experience for me in terms of knowing the track, how it is, all the bumps and everything, but it’s a different thing.”

Giovinazzi: Ferrari Aiming to “Pressure” Toyota

Ferrari showed itself to be the main threat to the dominant Toyotas in the opening three rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship, securing pole position at Sebring and taking podium finishes at every race.

Giovinazzi asserted Toyota remains the benchmark at Le Mans, but that Ferrari’s game plan will be “give pressure” to the Japanese marque.

“Let’s see, I think we have a fast car,” he said. “For sure Toyota is the main team to beat. You know, they have more experience, they know how to win this race.

“We need to just give some pressure to them. It’s a long race, 24 hours. If we can push them and give pressure, they do a mistake or something can happen. So, I think the main priority is to give pressure to them.”