Zhou’s pace in Formula 2 this season, coupled with healthy support from Chinese sponsors, has made the 22-year-old Alpine Academy driver the most likely candidate to compete alongside new Alfa signing Valtteri Bottas in 2022.
Sources have suggested that a deal is as good as agreed and now just needs to be signed.
However, Vasseur insists that Alfa Romeo stay open about what it does for the next year and would like to wait a while longer to see how the F2 campaign plays out.
Vasseur not only wants Zhou on his radar, he also wants to check the progress of Sauber Academy driver Theo Pourchaire.
In addition, current Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi is hoping to land a new contract with some strong performances after impressing in qualifying with Q3 appearances at the last two Grands Prix at Zandvoort and Monza.
PLUS: Who should Alfa Romeo sign for the 2022 F1 season?
When asked directly whether Zhou is on the Alfa Romeo shortlist, Vasseur said: “Zhou is doing a good job in Formula 2. He is definitely on the list.
“But it’s not just because he’s Chinese, he’s a front runner in Formula 2. He has won a few races and I think every single team in F1 takes care of him.
“But we have the first four events [of F2, that] went a little different. Now they’re going back to more standard tracks.
“The young people in F2 have more experience and then we’ll see in two or three events where we stand and how each individual driver develops in F2.”
Podium: race winner Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing, second Guanyu Zhou, UNI-Virtuosi, third Dan Ticktum, Carlin
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Zhou is currently in second place in the F2 classification after Oscar Piastri extended his points lead after winning the main race at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend.
Vasseur anticipates Alfa Romeo will wait until after the F2 round in Sochi on September 25-26 before calling his lineup for 2022.
While F2 rookie Pourchaire has performed well this season, Vasseur has hinted that his lack of experience with F1 machines, having only completed one test in an old car at the Hungaroring last month, could be a factor that works against him.
“We have to give Theo the time to improve and not only build the pace because he has the pace, but also all the training for it,” said Vasseur.
“He was 17 years old two months ago.
“F1 is very complicated. We have a very limited number of days of testing.
“We have a new car next year and we may have reliability issues. That means that we could arrive in Bahrain with a very low mileage and we have to take that into account.
“It’s never easy for the drivers, it’s a challenge, but we definitely have to give them time.”
The post Zhou favorite for second Alfa Romeo F1 seat in 2022 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
