Alfa Romeo confirms Zhou Guanyu for next season! What made the decision and what did team boss Frédéric Vasseur say about him?

It was an expected move after all – the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team has confirmed Chinese driver Kuan-yu Zhou for the upcoming season! What did team boss Frédéric Vasseur have to say about him and what helped Alfa make this decision?

This announcement has been expected for some time. The Chinese driver will continue in Alfa Romeo colours next season, and it is understood that the team exercised the option on Zhou at the end of last month.

However, Alfa Romeo has timed its announcement to coincide with the return of Formula 1 to Asia, where the Singapore Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, October 2.

Zhou is in his rookie season this year, having scored his first points in the opening round of the 2022 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

It was then that he finished tenth, and he also came very close to scoring points in Saudi Arabia and Australia, where he finished eleventh.

He scored more points in Montreal, Canada. In the ninth round of the season, Zhou finished in a solid eighth place and scored four points. In the subsequent British Grand Prix, he suffered a horror accident and scored his last points in Italy (1 point for 10th place).

It should be noted his strong and good relationship with team leader Valtteri Bottas, who has a multi-year contract, also played a part in Alfa Romeo’s decision to give Zhou another chance in the form of a second season.

Statement by Fred Vasseur

“I look forward to working with Chou again. From day one, he has made a great impression on me with his approach to work, which is always a positive quality. We knew he was fast, but the way he adapted to Formula 1 in such a short time was one of the best surprises of the season,” said the Alfa Romeo boss in an interview with F1.

“He’s a very nice guy, everyone in the team likes his personality and attitude. He’s humble, he’s learning, he’s asking the race engineers questions, he’s learning from them and from Valtteri. And he has the intelligence to apply all the information he has learned from race to race,” Vasseur continues.

“He has experience that he can draw on next season. I am sure he will take the next step forward, ” he concluded.

Sources