It took until the ninth round for him to score a point, and by season’s end the score between the two Alfa Romeo drivers was Kimi 43, Antonio 14.

But paper does not tell the whole story. If Raikkonen, a former World Champion, was stronger in the races, Giovinazzi was often ahead of him on the grid, and the Italian had by far the worst end of the team’s reliability issues during the season.

Behind the scenes, the Italian driver’s support within the team remained strong. Two years without a regular Formula 1® seat in 2017-18 showed he had resilience and, in spite of how it looks in 2020, Kimi cannot continue racing forever, so it makes a lot of sense for Alfa Romeo to hang on to its local lad.

In 2020 it is time for the team to step up, and they will be looking for Giovinazzi to take a step with them.