Formula 1: China’s Zhou Guanyu signs contract extension with Alfa Romeo, to drive for team in 2023
- Chinese driver made his F1 debut this year and has scored six points from 16 races
- Team praise 23-year-old’s ‘maturity and racecraft’ and hail his contribution in rookie season
China’s Zhou Guanyu will remain with Alfa Romeo next season, the team said on Tuesday, as team principal Frédéric Vasseur called the rookie driver’s performance “one of the best surprises of our season”.
The 23-year-old made his F1 debut this year and has scored six points from 16 races, with his most recent success coming at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza a fortnight ago.
Zhou, who said he was looking forward to “the next chapter in the story”, returns to the track this weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix, where he and teammate Valtteri Bottas will look to improve on Alfa’s sixth position in the constructors’ championship.
Zhou’s confirmation leaves less than a handful of seats still potentially open on the 2023 grid, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo among those still looking after his split with McLaren.
Fourth-placed Alpine, needing to replace double world champion Fernando Alonso, have a vacancy, while Williams are looking for a teammate for Thai racer Alex Albon and Haas are yet to decide Mick Schumacher’s fate.
In announcing the move, Alfa said Zhou had “demonstrated levels of maturity and racecraft that belie his age”, and praised his contribution to the team’s development.
“Having made history as the first driver from China to compete in Formula One, Zhou has impressed the team with his commitment and his attitude, forming a strong partnership with teammate, Valtteri Bottas, and displaying progress in his performances, both in qualifying and the race, round after round,” Alfa said in a statement.
