Antonio Giovinazzi says he was completely taken by surprise by his last-minute Sauber call-up for the Australian Grand Prix and thought he was on the receiving end of a joke.
The GP2 runner-up and Ferrari third driver was drafted in to drive the C36 in place of the unfit Pascal Wehrlein for final practice and qualifying, with his only previous experience behind the wheel of the Sauber coming during the first Barcelona test, when he again deputised for the German as he recovered from his back injury. Giovinazzi admits he was shocked to receive the "dream" call-up.