Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Wednesday, January 20.
Wednesday morning's Formula 1 news roundup
Giovinazzi didn't take Ferrari seat news 'well'
© Reuters
Antonio Giovinazzi has admitted he didn't take news of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari seat for 2021 "all that well".
The 27-year-old has been retained by Alfa Romeo and remains a part of Ferrari's driver academy, but he admits the Maranello team opting to replace Sebastian Vettel with former McLaren driver Sainz was disappointing.
"Of course I didn't take Ferrari's decision all that well," the Italian told Autosprint. "That seems obvious.
"I am still employed by Ferrari and I thought there would be a chance for me to race for the Scuderia. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me."
However, Giovinazzi is not yet writing off his chance of racing a Ferrari one day.
"Choosing Sainz doesn't mean that I won't be able to get that seat in the future. A seat at Ferrari will always be my dream," he said.
The Italian said he is not disheartened that his road to the top in Formula 1 is taking time.
"I have never been gifted anything in my career," he said. "I have always had to fight hard to earn my seats.
"At this time I am focused on Alfa Romeo. I want to help my team move forward as much as possible, which is why I would like a podium. To do that, I have to keep improving myself and taking my opportunities.
"Let's see if that works out in 2021."
Tennis in Melbourne 'a template' for F1 - Ricciardo
© Reuters
Daniel Ricciardo is watching current events in Melbourne with great interest.
At present, the world of international tennis is holed up in the city ahead of the Australian Open, observing a strict 14-day hotel quarantine.
It was Australia's quarantine rules that forced the postponement of Formula 1's 2021 season opener in Melbourne.
"I'm a massive tennis fan and I'm going to be watching it, and I'm hoping they can pull it off because it's a template in some ways for how we can get our event done in November," the 2021 McLaren driver told the local newspaper The Age.
"If it goes smoothly for the Open, that's great for us. It's a bold challenge for the city to take on and I admire them for that."
At present, the tennis quarantine is highly contentious, with some players complaining about conditions in the hotel while top stars like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams enjoy much better conditions in Adelaide.
Ricciardo says the quarantine would never have worked for F1.
"Tennis, they're potentially there for two weeks so it makes more sense in that respect," he said.
"Shifting it (the GP) to November gives us a chance to have a proper event, and that's what we're hoping for. In the end, if we're going to have the Australian GP we all want, we had to do it this way."
More news from Formula 1:
Ocon-Alonso battle 'will be very close' - Sirotkin
Esteban Ocon will give new teammate Fernando Alonso a run for his money early in 2021, according to team reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin. Read more.
Hockenheim joins list of potential 2021 circuits
Hockenheim has joined the list of circuits that could step in if Formula 1 is forced to make more changes to its 2021 schedule. Read more.
