Alfa Romeo announces driver line-up for 2024 F1 season as Guanyu Zhou gets another year
Alfa Romeo F1 team has announced that it will be continuing with the same driver's lineup heading into the 2024 season after they decided to retain Guanyu Zhou for another season.
Zhou will partner alongside Valtteri Bottas for a third successive year since making his debut at the beginning of the 2022 season. There were some doubts about whether the team would continue with the same lineup given that the title sponsor Alfa Romeo would be leaving the team.
There was also a possibility that Sauber would look to promote one of their own F1 academy drivers and potentially an F2 champion in 2023 Theo Pourchaire in place of the Chinese driver.
As per F1.com, Zhou was delighted by his new deal and said:
“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.
“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.”
Alfa Romeo F1 reveals the reason behind going with the same lineup for a third successive season
Alfa Romeo F1 team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated that the team focused on stability heading into the 2024 season and pointed out that nothing in F1 changes overnight.
He said:
“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.”
He added:
“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. 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.”
While F2 championship leader Theo Pourchaire will continue in his role as reserve diver for the team, it will be fascinating to see if he can impress them with his technical expertise in the simulator to make a stronger case for himself for the 2025 season.