Alfa Romeo confirms Zhou as the first Chinese F1 driver

FIA F2 front runner Zhou has been the favorite for the job for several months, helped by the commercial support he brings.

The 22-year-old is replacing Antonio Giovinazzi, who has been sacked after three seasons with the team but may keep a reserve role through his Ferrari ties.

When the sponsorship contract with Alfa Romeo was renewed in July, the Hinwil-based team had a free hand in choosing a driver, having previously been obliged to head a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Zhou will end his association with Alpine, which has been part of the Junior program since 2019, initially under the Renault name.

Why Alfa Romeo chose Zhou for its F1 team

He has completed an extensive private test program in the older cars of the Enstone team and completed an FP1 session at the Austrian GP earlier this year.

He will make his racetrack debut with Alfa in December at the Abu Dhabi test. He will complete the only rookie day in current standard cars, but can also drive for 18-inch Pirelli tire tests on one of the two days, with Bottas doing the other when approved by Mercedes.

“It was an important decision for the company and for the future of the company,” said Alfa team boss Fred Vasseur to Autosport.

“We have a big change in terms of the 2022 regulations. We evaluated all of the options that we had on the table. Valtteri was pretty obvious to me. And besides Valtteri, we’ve had different options, and for many different reasons, Zhou is the first choice.

“It’s never a thing. Performance is not based on a single pillar, it is always a combination of speed, collaboration with the team, collaboration with teammates, the financial side. And I think it’s a good step forward for the development of the company.

“We switched completely to the 2022 project very early on and the entire company, apart from the racing team, is fully focused on the year 2022. The fact that we have confirmed the drivers is also another catch and important for the project.”

Guanyu Zhou, Uni-Virtuosi Racing, Ralph Boschung, Campos Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Vasseur stressed that Zhou would end his relationship with Alpine.

“He is not run by Alpine at all and is no longer under contract with Alpine,” he said. “That was important to me because I also have to be free and work for the future. I have a one-year project when I know that there is no way for ’23.”

Zhou is currently in second place in the FIA ​​F2 Championship, 36 points behind his alpine protégé Oscar Piastri, with the weekends in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi still pending.

“From a young age I dreamed of climbing as high as possible in a sport that I’m passionate about, and now the dream has come true,” he said in a team statement.

“It is a privilege for me to start my F1 career with a legendary team, a team that has brought so many young talent into F1 in the past.

“Now the dream is a reality. I feel well prepared for the immense challenge of Formula 1, the top of my sport, together with a proven world-class talent in Valtteri Bottas.

“The goal for the next year will be to learn as much as possible and as quickly as possible. To be the first Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough in Chinese motorsport history. I know that I have a lot of hopes and, as always, I will use this as a motivation to get better and achieve more. “

Zhou’s announcement comes just weeks after F1 confirmed that the Chinese GP will be back on the calendar in 2023 after missing three seasons due to the COVID pandemic, with his contract now extended to 2025.

His start on the grid is welcomed by the entire paddock as it will help raise the profile of the sport in China and open up new commercial opportunities.

“This is fantastic news for F1 and the millions of passionate Chinese fans who now have a year-round home hero to cheer on,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“It’s another great example of the Formula 2 pyramid promoting talent into the top tier of motorsport.

“Zhou is an incredible talent and he will be a fantastic addition to our fantastic field and he will entertain and delight all of our Chinese fans in 2022.”

Vasseur is hoping to keep ties with Giovinazzi although nothing has been finalized, while current reserve player Robert Kubica is likely to remain involved as well.

“I would like to keep Antonio close to the family or part of the group because we have had three good seasons,” said Vasseur. “I like him and we have a good relationship personally. I would like to keep it. ”With us.

“Robert will probably stay, but the first solution with Robert is that I don’t know if he will have a program on the side, and then we have to build something around it.”

He said to Callum Ilott: “He is going to the USA. It is a good challenge for him that he wants to race and I can understand that very well. He is a nice guy and we have a good relationship.”