'It was a fantastic weekend,' rejoices Giovinazzi

Sauber's Antonio Giovinazzi finished he first Grand Prix 12th, and labeled his rookie weekend as "fantastic".

Ferrari's reserve driver was pulled out of bed early on Saturday as he was drafted in at the last hour to replace an unfit Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber.

With just a couple dozen laps under his belt, the young Italian launched his race on Sunday and put in a steady debut performance all the way through.

"It was a fantastic weekend, a fantastic two days for me," he said.

"I'm happy with the performance I had, it was a good qualifying, today we did a good race.

"There was no big mistake, just maybe the one in the first corner where I compromised a little bit my first stint with Softs as I had a big flat spot.

Kaltenborn impressed with Giovinazzi, but rules out more outings

"After the pit stop the pace was quite good, so we finished the race P12; my target was to finish the race because the laps I did today were important for the feel of the car and the tyres.

"So I'm happy with the performance, I really enjoyed these two days."

Wehrlein should be back behind the wheel of Sauber's C36 in China, but should the German remain sidelined, Giovinazzi won't be asked twice to get another run.

"Yeah, why not, but Pascal is the Sauber driver," he said.

"I will be there with Ferrari and then we'll see what happens in Shanghai."

GALLERY: all the pics from Sunday's action

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.