Alfa Romeo extended the contract of Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu keeping him with the team till 2023.
Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur is impressed by Zhou Guanyu on many things. The Frenchman explains why the team wanted Zhou to continue in 2023.
According to Vasseur, the speed at which Zhou adapted to F1 has impressed him the most. He deemed this as “one of the best surprises” of the season.
Alfa Romeo announced on Tuesday that the Chinese driver will be staying with the team for another year.
This makes Alfa Romeo the 6th team on the grid to officially confirm their lineup for the upcoming season. Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin are the other five teams with the confirmed line-up.
Although AlphaTauri also has two drivers – Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda confirmed for the next season rumors indicate strongly towards Pierre Gasly leaving the team for other options.
Zhou has 3 points finishes to his name this season. Although the points will show him vastly behind his teammate Valtteri Bottas, the 23-year-old has shown incredible driving skills and was plagued hugely by reliability issues.
Vasseur impressed by Zhou
“I am looking forward to continuing working with Zhou,”
Vasseur said in a team statement.
“From day one with the team, at the Abu Dhabi test last year, he has impressed me with his approach to work and this is always a very positive trait. We knew he was quick, but the way he adapted to Formula One in such a short time has been one of the best surprises of our season.
“Zhou is a very nice guy, everyone in the team likes both his personality and attitude. He has had the humility to ask questions and learn, from the engineers as well as Valtteri, and the intelligence to apply all the information he got to improve race after race.
“He will have this experience to draw on next season, and I am sure he will make another step forward as we continue to grow our team.”
Driving alongside Bottas, the duo has secured 56 points for the Hinwil-based squad. The team currently sits on 6th in the constructors’ standings. Haas is their closest rival with 36 points on 7th.
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