Guanyu Zhou: A look at Antonio Giovinazzi's replacement at Alfa Romeo for F1 2022
Alfa Romeo have announced Guanyu Zhou will replace Antonio Giovinazzi as their second driver for the 2022 F1 season. The 22-year-old, who will become China’s first full-time driver in F1 history, is currently a test driver with Renault-owned Alpine.
"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," Zhou said in a team statement. "To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula One is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history," he added.
Zhou has experience in three open-wheel racing categories: Formula 4, Formula 3 Europe and Formula 2. He won the 2021 F3 Asian Championship with Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema. In 15 races, the Chinese took four wins, five pole positions and five fastest laps, missing out on podium in only four races across the season.
Zhou currently participates in F2. The UNI-Virtuosi driver is locked in a championship battle with Oscar Piastri. He trails the Australian by 36 points with two races remaining.
The Chinese driver’s arrival at Alfa Romeo completes the grid for next year. Zhou will race alongside current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in the F1 2022 season.
Guanyu Zhou must win F2 feature race in Saudi Arabia
Zhou has experienced a downturn in form after a blistering start to the season, failing to win any of the five races across the last two race weekends. Zhou's last victory came in the feature race at Silverstone.
Meanwhile, his title rival, Piastri, won the last two feature races. The Australian picked up back-to-back checkered flags at Monza and Sochi.
Zhou must win the full 25 points at the feature race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Anything less might hand Piastri the F2 drivers’ championship.