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."