Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Guanyu Zhou

  • Zhou signs for 2024!

    China’s first full-time F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu has signed a new deal to extend his stay with Alfa Romeo into the 2024 season with Valtteri Bottas.

    Zhou first made his debut with the Sauber-run Swiss team in 2022, scoring a point on debut in Bahrain and has then shown strong progress since.

    This contract extension means, that the Zhou will have the opportunity to race on home soil for the first time in F1, with the Chinese Grand Prix returning to the calendar next year.

    This move gives the team stability as the 24 year old’s teammate, Bottas has already got a contract for 2024, which he signed a multi-year deal that comes to a conclusion at the end of next season.

    The team has also announced F2 Championship leader, Theo Pourchaire will continue in his role as the reserve driver in 2024.

    Signing again with the team is always a great feeling, especially when we know how things are shaping up. I am proud to be part of Alfa Romeo and grateful for their trust. I have been working extremely hard since day one and there is an incredible level of motivation to keep doing so every day forward. My relationship with Valtteri is really good, and we are working closely together and with the team to push everyone forward. I am also very excited about the opportunity to finally race with my team in China, in front of my home crowd. It will be a great moment and I’m proud to be able to share it with all those who have supported me.

    Zhou on the announcement.

    The decision to continue our journey with our driver line-up unchanged is testament to the investment we have made in our project. Nothing in Formula 1 changes overnight, and we have taken a conscious decision to focus on stability and to keep building our team up together as we embark on an important period of transition. Valtteri and Zhou are drivers of known talent and skill and they work really well together: they are well-matched and can push each other. Valtteri has taken a real leader’s role within the team, pushing us all to give our best; Zhou has made impressive steps forward in the last two years and we expect him to continue on this trajectory in 2024. Now the baton is back to us – we have to give both drivers a good car and put them in the best conditions to perform.

    Team Representative, Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

    Over the years, the team has become a family to me and, therefore, I am really happy and grateful to continue my journey with Alfa Romeo and the Sauber Academy. The support I have received from everyone in the team has been outstanding, and I’m proud to be able to contribute to the growth of the whole operation.

    Pourchaire sticking with his role.

  • Zhou stays with Alfa Romeo

    Alfa Romeo have announced that Zhou Guanyu has a fresh new deal, that will keep the Chinese driver at the team for 2023, alongside Valtteri Bottas.

    Zhou hit the ground running by scoring a point on his debut in Bahrain and then followed that up with two more points finishes, at Canada and Italian Grand Prix. In total, Zhou has scored six points so far this season, compared to Bottas’ tally of 46, however its felt internally that tally would be much higher had he not suffered a series of mechanical problems.

    The strong relationship built up between the team mate Bottas, who is on a multi-year deal played a part in opting to give Zhou a second season.

    The team, have been impressed by his “commitment and attitude” as well as displaying “levels of maturity and race craft that belie his young age”.

    I am looking forward to continuing working with Zhou. 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 1 in such a short time has been one of the best surprises of our season. He 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

    Alfa Romeo boss, Fred Vasseur.

    I am happy and grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 Team for the opportunity to be part of the team for another season. Making it to Formula 1 was a dream come true and the feeling of competing for the first time in a race will live with me forever: the team has been incredibly supportive, welcoming me from day one and helping me adapt to the most complex series in motorsport. There is more that I want to achieve in this sport and with the team, and the hard work we have put together since the start of the year is just the first step towards where we want to be next season. There is still a lot to learn, a lot to develop but I am confident in our work: I am looking forward to the next chapter of our story together.

    Zhou Gunayu on his new contract.
  • C42

    C42

    Alfa Romeo, are the last team to show the world their 2022 challenger with a new bold livery.

    The team, has run a special camouflage design during the three days of pre-season running in Barcelona, with Valtteri Bottas, rookie Guanyu Zhou and reserve Robert Kubica sharing driving duties.

    The Swiss team, had a series of mechanical glitches which confined the car to the garage for long periods, and they only managed 175 laps, putting them ninth out of 10 teams in the mileage charts.

    Alfa Romeo will have another chance alongside the other nine teams to gain more mileage as they head to Bahrain for the Official Pre Season Test which begins on March 10th.

    “The start of the season is always an exciting time, one in which we see the fruit of the work of hundreds of people over a long period of time,” said Team Principal Fred Vasseur. “The C42 is a car we look forward to seeing racing, not just because it is the first we built in this new regulations cycle, one in which racing should be closer and more thrilling, but because we have the utmost confidence in this car helping the team make a big step forward towards the front of the grid.”

    Bottas, who joined from Mercedes said: “What is exciting is that we have no idea how that first race is going to pan out. Testing helped us confirm our expectations of where we stand, the progress we have made with the car, but now we are getting closer to the moment that really matters. Since I joined, I have seen so much motivation within this team: everyone is pushing a lot, trying to work harder than the others to be competitive, and that in turn gives me that extra boost when I am in the cockpit.”

    Zhou, who finished third in F2 last year before stepping up to F1 with Alfa Romeo, said: “I am fully pumped up for the season and seeing the C42 in the livery in which I will race it definitely makes it real. We are at the beginning of a new era, with new cars and new regulations, and this creates an opportunity for all teams to make progress since we are all starting from scratch. Everyone at Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen has been incredibly helpful since I joined and seeing all the hard work, the commitment and motivation from everyone, in Hinwil and at the track, fills me with pride and excitement. I can’t wait to be on the grid with this car and work with my team to bring home the results we are targeting together.”

  • 27.02.22

    Another car date has been revealed and that being Alfa Romeo and they will be revealing their car, the C42 on the 27th of February.

    The team will be having an all new line-up this year with Valtteri Bottas joining from Mercedes, and F2 Graduate Guanyu Zhou joining the team for his rookie year in Formula One.

    The launch date is after Barcelona pre-season shakedown (February 23rd to 25th), this means that Alfa Romeo will be having a special livery for the shakedown in Barcelona.

    The team who are based in Switzerland have changed their name from Alfa Romeo Racing to Alfa Romeo F1 Team for 2022, as the team enters a new era.

    CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato explained the name change: “For us, adding the wording ‘F1 Team’ to our team’s name is highly significant and makes us proud: it epitomises Alfa Romeo’s commitment to the most exclusive motorsport competition there is, where this brand has written indelible pages in its history. On the other hand, it represents the team spirit of cohesion, in which Alfa Romeo intends to play a leading role. With this new team and logo, a new, exciting line-up and a new car ready to be unveiled, we are ready for an exciting new season.”

  • Gio out, Zhou in.

    It has been announced that Antonio Giovinazzi has not been retained for the 2022 season, instead Alfa Romeo have chosen Guanyu Zhou to complete their line up.

    Guanyu Zhou who is currently sitting in 2nd of the Formula 2 Championship will be the first full time Formula 1 Chinese Driver ever! Zhou, has been linked with being Alfa Romeo’s second driver for several months and was a main contender for the seat.

    Guanyu is apart of the Alpine Driver Academy along side title rival, Oscar Piastri. Zhou also has a role as a test driver for Alpine.

    “It is a pleasure to welcome Guanyu Zhou to Alfa Romeo Racing,” said Vasseur. “He is a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we are looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in Formula 1. We are proud of our line-up for 2022 and we are confident Zhou will form a very successful partnership with Valtteri. We are also looking forward to welcoming all the new Chinese fans who will join the team: Alfa Romeo Racing is a historical brand and one that embodies the spirit of Formula 1 and we will do our utmost to make the experience of our sport a great one in China.”

    Zhou added: “I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I am passionate about and now the dream has come true. It is a privilege for me to start my Formula 1 career with an iconic team, a team that has introduced so much young talent into Formula 1 in the past. Now the dream is reality. I feel well prepared for the immense challenge of Formula 1, the pinnacle of my sport, alongside a proven, world-class talent in Valtteri Bottas. I wish to thank the Alfa Romeo Racing team for this opportunity. Next year the target will be to learn as much as possible and as quickly as possible. To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history. I know a lot of hopes will be resting on me and, as ever, I will take this as motivation to become better and achieve more.”

    My Opinion-

    It’s obviously a shame to see someone leaving the sport, and I can imagine Giovinazzi probably feels the same. But to have someone new come in is exciting, with watching Zhou the past few years he is definitely improving more and more as a driver.

    It will be interesting to see how he does in the Alfa Romeo next year and especially along side Valtteri Bottas, with both of them new to the team it may take them both a while to get use to the car and team.