(Reuters) - Sauber have promoted Italian Antonio Giovinazzi as their second driver for the 2019 season alongside former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, the team said on Tuesday.
Giovinazzi, the team's reserve driver, made his Formula One debut last year, starting two races as a replacement for the injured Pascal Wehrlein.
"I am delighted to be joining the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team. This is a dream come true, and it is a great pleasure to have the chance to race for this team," Giovinazzi said.
The 24-year-old had been competing for the role with Sauber's current driver Marcus Ericsson. Ericsson will stay with Sauber as their back-up driver, the team said on their Twitter feed.
"As an Italian, it is a huge honour for me to represent a brand as iconic and successful as Alfa Romeo in our sport... I am very motivated and cannot wait to start working towards achieving great results together."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)