Guanyu Zhou’s contract extension at Alfa Romeo was never in danger for the Chinese, as he says. Zhou will continue to drive for the team in Formula 1 in 2023 after a solid debut season, it was confirmed on Tuesday this week.
“Not to be honest,” he said when asked if the extension was ever in doubt.
“I mean, of course there were a few doubts at the beginning of the season because I didn’t know how my first season was going to go, but actually it was going quite well,” he says at a sponsored event. “The team is very satisfied with the goals that we were able to achieve. And also with my potential – especially when driving.”
Then, after half a season, Zhou felt there was a great opportunity to continue with the team. “It was fantastic that the extension was finally announced in Singapore,” says the Alfa Romeo driver. “I’m looking forward to all the new challenges that will come our way.”
According to team principal Frederic Vasseur, it wasn’t just one thing that made the team continue with Zhou and keep him alongside Valtteri Bottas. Instead, it was a combination of things.
“The goal at the beginning was clear that we had to reach Q2 together,” says Vasseur. “In the first race he made it into Q2 and got a point. He was in Q3 a few times and fought for Q3 again in Monza. That shows that he has improved.”
Vasseur also praised his protégé for the “fantastic work” outside the car, especially working with the team and team-mate Valtteri Bottas. “And in the factory, he tries to motivate all the employees to try harder. I think he’s doing a good job. I’m more than satisfied and proud of the work Zhou has done so far.”
World Cup distance to Bottas distorts the picture
If you only look at the World Cup table, however, you can see a big discrepancy between Zhou and the experienced Bottas. The Chinese has collected six points so far, while Bottas has 46. But the Finn scored all of his points in the first nine races of the season when the Alfa Romeo was even stronger and had a weight advantage.
When the C42 was at its strongest, Zhou was still finding his feet in Formula 1 and also faced some reliability issues that cost him a higher points tally. From the middle of the season, however, Zhou was able to keep up with Bottas, who has not scored since the race in Canada.
If you count all the races from Baku, the qualifying duel between the two is 5:5. The race duel is more difficult to assess because in the last ten races both drivers have only finished together three times. Most recently in Monza, the Chinese finished tenth ahead of Bottas (13th) and scored Alfa Romeo’s first point since June.
Vasseur: Step by step forward
“We had some reliability issues,” says Vasseur of Zhou’s points tally compared to Bottas. “Probably the worst moment for him was when he was fighting for points in Miami earlier in the season [und mit einem Wasserpumpenproblem ausfiel].
“It was a shame, but the season is long, his career is long [und] we must focus on the future. He knows he needs to improve in some areas and that it’s not always easy to get through a season in Formula 1.”
“But in the end he’s doing a good job. We know it’s a long process and he’s progressing step by step.”