Former Alfa Romeo race engineer shares poignant message for Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu after their confirmed exits from team
With the announcement of Gabriel Bortoleto's arrival, Alfa Romeo has confirmed its new line-up for the 2025 F1 season. The signing of Bortoleto means Valtteri Bottas will have to make way after Sauber decided to part ways with Zhou Guanyu earlier after signing Nico Hulkenberg.
Bottas and Guanyu joined the Sauber team in 2022 and raced together for three back-to-back years. Their departures mean that Kick Sauber will have an entirely new line-up next season.
As the announcement was made, Ruth Buscombe, a former Alfa Romeo strategist shared an emotional post paying tribute to Bottas and Guanyu. Buscombe, now an F1 TV presenter, once called race strategies for the driver duo at Sauber.
"It was an honor and a privilege to call strategy for @valtteribottas and @zhouguanyu24 at Alfa. Thank you for every undercut, every overcut, every stayout, every box, every mistake you forgave, every team order you followed without questioning, every second of race time you cost Aston in that final race, every point you earned (or took away with a fastest lap, or that count back position in Imola that ultimately counted for that P6."
"This is the end of an era, but I know it's not the end of either of your tours. We never give up. As VB (Valtteri Bottas) said in our first-ever race briefing (and we were all shocked, including VB, at how profound it all came out). Do not set a limit on what you can achieve," the statement read.
Alfa Romeo/Kick Sauber on Wednesday announced the signing of Bortoleto for the 2025 season. The Brazilian rookie will join Hulkenberg for the Sauber/Audi-owned outfit next year. He is currently racing in F2, and leading the Championship with two races to go.
Notably, Bortoleto is also a rising star in F1, with the F3 title already in his bag. He was also involved in the Junior Driver Program with Renault, and McLaren, before landing his big break with Sauber.
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu shared heartfelt post following Bortoleto's announcement
Following Sauber's announcement on Gabriel Bortoleto, Zhou Guanyu shared an emotional statement where he showed his gratitude towards the Hinwil-based team. The Chinese driver thanked Alfa Romeo for his three-year stint in F1.
"I will leave the team at the end of the season, but I am fully committed to finishing the season in style," Guanyu said in the team statement. "I am grateful to the team for giving me a chance in F1: this is not an easy sport for rookies but the team has allowed me to grow so much over these three years."
Zhou Guanyu became the first-ever Chinese driver in F1 history. He made his debut for Alfa Romeo in 2022 and joined the team alongside Valtteri Bottas, who arrived from Mercedes.