Alfa Romeo confirm Giovinazzi will leave the team at the end of the season, as Italian announces Formula E switch

Alfa Romeo will run an all-new line-up in 2022, after they announced Antonio Giovinazzi is leaving the team at the end of this season.

Valtteri Bottas is joining from Mercedes next season, replacing outgoing 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, while the identity of his team mate has been the subject of speculation for several months.

READ MORE: Alfa Romeo ‘serious about the future’ says Bottas as he relishes team leader opportunity

F2 racer Guanyu Zhou has been the long-time favourite, but Team Principal Fred Vasseur had not ruled out retaining incumbent Giovinazzi.

But on Tuesday morning, ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo revealed Giovinazzi will leave the team after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

In 60 Grands Prix starts for the team, he scored a best result of fifth in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix with the team describing him as a “popular driver with team personnel and fans alike” and “an incredible professional throughout”.

Vasseur said: “Saying goodbye to a driver is never easy, especially so in the case of Antonio, who has been part of the team for so long.

“As we part ways, we will cherish the memories of the good times and learn lessons from the bad ones, knowing these moments all made us grow together as a team.

“We wish Antonio the best for his future after the 2021 season: before then, we still have three races to achieve some good results together and finish the year strongly.”

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Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali added: "I want to thank Antonio for being a brilliant ambassador for Formula 1 and Italy. He has done a great job and I hope we will see him back on the F1 grid in the future. I wish him all the best and know he will do well in whatever he chooses to do."

Zhou was later confirmed as team mate for Bottas for 2022, the F2 title contender set to become China’s first full-time F1 driver, while Giovinazzi announced he would be making the switch to Formula E with Dragon Penske.