Kaltenborn impressed with Giovinazzi, but rules out more outings

©WRI2

Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn was highly impressed with Antonio Giovinazzi's display in qualifying Saturday

The 23-year-old rookie was called on at the last hour to replace Pascal Wehrlein after the German took himself out of the running in the morning, judging his level of fitness insufficient to properly achieve the 58-lap race distance around Albert Park.

As a consequence, Giovinazzi - Ferrari's official reserve driver - was suited and booted and strapped into Sauber's C36 for 17 laps in the morning before finishing P16 in the afternoon quali session.

"I think he did an impressive job considering he really does not know the car," Kaltenborn told Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz.

"This is not the car we had at T1 (first week of testing), we changed a lot aero-wise. It's a very different feel. So he did a great job, impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he will do tomorrow.

Giovinazzi ecstatic over quali performance!

Kaltenborn underlined however the Swiss outfit's allegiance to Wehrlein who is expected to be fully recovered and back in action in China.

"He (Wehrlein) is equally promising. You like to have these kind of problems or choices."

Asked whether the young charger's performance could lead to further outings within Sauber's test programs, Kaltenborn rules out the idea.

"No, that not going to happen," she insisted.

"We just had this arrangement in terms of replacement of a regular driver."

Gallery: all the pics from Saturday's action

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.