Alfa Romeo has confirmed that it has retained Zhou Guanyu for the 2023 Formula 1 campaign.
Zhou joined the team this year, becoming the first-ever F1 driver from China.
He is the only rookie competing on the 2022 grid, driving alongside Valtteri Bottas, who also joined Alfa Romeo this year following several seasons at Mercedes.
: “I am happy and grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN for the opportunity to be part of the team for another season,” Zhou said.
“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 arrived in F1 following three years of competing in Formula 2, where he picked up five race wins and a flurry of podium results.
Prior to his move to Alfa Romeo, Zhou was part of Alpine’s F1 junior academy, and received an FP1 outing with the French manufacturer at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.
He also tested for the team on several occasions.
Following the opening 16 races of his F1 career with Alfa Romeo, he has scored three top 10 finishes with a best result of eighth at the Canadian Grand Prix.
