Alfa Romeo has confirmed the name of the new driver! Giovinazzi leaves the F1 world for good

The name of the new driver has finally been confirmed by Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen. And it should be noted that it is not a surprising name. Antonio Giovinazzi is leaving the world of Formula One. So what does the departure mean and who will replace him?

The colours of Alfa Romeo will be defended next season by the duo of Valtteri Bottas – Kuan-yu Zhou. The latter is only the second Chinese driver to taste the world of Formula 1. Or rather, the 22-year-old Chinese has already had a taste of Formula 1.

In fact, he took part in one of the practice sessions in an Alpine car at this year’s Austrian Grand Prix. The first Chinese driver to do so was Ma Qinghua, who had joined the HRT and Caterham teams in 2012 and 2013.

Kuan-yu Zhou has been in lower-level competitions so far, but this year he dominated the Asian Formula 3 and has been driving in F2 since 2019, where he is currently second with 142 points.

Either way, Giovinazzi’s departure means that the queen of motorsport will once again be without a driver of Italian nationality. It should be noted, Italy has already had a total of 98 of its drivers in Formula 1!

“Since I was young, I have dreamed of going as high as possible in a sport I enjoy. Now my dream has come true. It is an honour to start my F1 racing career with such an iconic team that has introduced so many young talents to Formula 1 in the past,” Zhou told Alfa Romeo’s official website.

“I feel ready for the huge challenge that awaits me. I would like to thank the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team for this opportunity. Next year, my goal will be to learn as much as possible,” he explained.

“Being the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough in the history of Chinese motorsport. I know that there will be a lot of hope for me, and as always I will take it as motivation to become better and achieve great success,” he concluded.

With this decision, the team’s driver line-ups are now complete, and this is what they look like. We will once again see Alexander Albon, who did not get a Formula 1 seat for this year, but will race in Red Bull colours in the 2020 season.

It will also be interesting to see how George Russell fares alongside Lewis Hamilton or how the all-new Alfa Romeo driver pairing fares.

F1, F2, Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen