Dhe first regular Chinese driver in the history of Formula 1 is supposed to give Alfa Romeo and, in the giant empire, a boost to the premier class of motorsport. Alfa Romeo gave the last free cockpit for 2022 to Guanyu Zhou and parted ways with the Italian Antonio Giovinazzi. “It’s great from both a sporting and a commercial perspective,” said Alfa Romeo team principal Fredric Vasseur. “It’s a great opportunity for the team and the sport.”
Zhou has been driving in Formula 2 since 2019 and was also a Formula 1 test driver at Alpine. In the top junior class, the 22-year-old from Shanghai is currently in second place in the drivers’ standings for Uni-Virtuosi, behind the Australian Prema man Oscar Piastri.
“To be the first Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough in the history of Chinese motorsport,” said Zhou on Tuesday, who also made a generous dowry from his sponsors attractive for Formula 1. “I know that I have many hopes and, as always, I will use that as a motivation to get better and achieve more.”
Ma Qinghua was the first Chinese in Formula 1 in 2012. But he was only allowed to play for HRT and later Caterham in training. It was never enough for him to race. The Chinese car market is of immense importance for Formula 1. The premier class of motorsport has been driving in Shanghai since 2004, and Formula 1 drove its 1000th Grand Prix there in 2019. Due to the pandemic, there was no race in China in 2020 and 2021, and there will be no race in China in the calendar for the coming season. Nevertheless, the contract was extended until 2025.
In 2022, Zhou will drive alongside Valtteri Bottas, who is coming from the industry leader Mercedes. The Finn replaces his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, who is ending his career. Giovinazzi made his Formula 1 debut for what was then the Sauber team in 2017, and he was promoted to regular driver for the 2019 season. Before the third to last Grand Prix of this season in Qatar, he is currently at one point in the championship, with a total of 19 points in his career.
Giovinazzi has to go bitterly disappointed. Formula 1 is “talent, machine, risk, speed,” wrote the 27-year-old on social networks. But you can also be “inconsiderate when money dictates the rules.”
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