Antonio Giovinazzi to leave Alfa Romeo at end of 2021 F1 season

The Italian squad has the only seat left available for the 2022 season, and Giovinazzi was still hopeful of securing another year at the Hinwil-based squad.

However, on Tuesday morning the team made the announcement that it will not retain Giovinazzi.

"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," said team boss Fred Vasseur.

"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."

Giovinazzi, who joined Alfa in 2019, was the first Italian to compete in F1 full time since the 2011 season.

The 27-year-old is set to be replaced by Guanyu Zhou, with an announcement expected imminently.

Zhou, who took part in Friday practice for the Austrian Grand Prix with Alpine this year, will become the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1.

The 22-year-old from Shanghai will partner Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo, the Finn leaving Mercedes at the end of a campaign after five seasons racing alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Zhou is currently second in the Formula 2 standings with the two rounds, and six races, in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi remaining.