The team announced Valtteri Bottas on Monday for next year and with the announcements of George Russell at Mercedes and Alex Albon’s move to Williams, the second Alfa seat remains the biggest question mark of the silly season.
Vasseur is no longer contractually bound to take on a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and while incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi could still keep the seat, the team is keeping its options open.
The Italian is still considered Ferrari’s preferred option, despite suggestions that Haas’ Mick Schumacher could be replaced.
The alpine junior Guanyu Zhou is considered Giovinazzi’s main competitor and has a considerable budget from China behind him.
Zhou is currently in second place in the F2 standings, but the series has half of its season to go, with four race weekends remaining in Monza, Sochi, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi – meaning the season results won’t be announced until Jan. December to be decided.
Although he did not name Zhou, Vasseur made it clear that he was waiting for the F2 season to develop: “The choice is important. We have some young children who have to race more. And we won’t be able to get a clear picture beforehand. “
Vasseur hinted at the start of the Zandvoort weekend that he was cautious about taking a rookie due to a lack of testing, but after confirming Bottas as his lead driver, he now admits it is a possibility.
He really wants to lead the protégé and ART driver Theo Pourchaire, but previously indicated that 2022 would be too early for the 18-year-old. Pourchaire is currently in sixth place in the F2 championship, but could still move up in that order.
Théo Pourchaire, Alfa Romeo
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The chance for Nyck de Vries, who missed Alex Albon’s Williams place, seems to have dwindled.
“Everything is open, including Antonio,” Vasseur told Autosport. “Antonio is doing a good job. But I think it is a great opportunity for us to be able to recruit and welcome Valtteri.
“Then it doesn’t matter whether the team-mate is a beginner or an experienced player, we will benefit from Valtteri’s experience and speed.
“I’m not going to comment on who is on the list and who is not. It looks a bit tricky with some of them because of their relationship with engine suppliers.
“We have a contract with Ferrari and it looks difficult or impossible to do such deals. And let’s look at the others. “
Vasseur suggested that Giovinazzi, who qualified seventh at Zandvoort, still has a chance to justify the seat.
“I think we’ll look at the next two or three events with Antonio,” said Vasseur.
“But maybe he’s turned to the past, and this situation could also be a good wake-up call. I want to have a clear picture before I make decisions with my shareholders. “
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