Zhou Guanyu has expressed his excitement for the next two races in Singapore and Japan after his 10th place finish at the Italian Grand Prix, a result that he was “really happy and proud” of.
The points finish marked the first for Zhou and Alfa Romeo since the Canadian Grand Prix where he and team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished eighth and seventh respectively.
The Chinese driver started in ninth place but was demoted to 10th due to a charging Carlos Sainz who started towards the back of the grid.
Locked into a tough battle with Williams Racing debutant Nyck de Vries for tenth place, Zhou was promoted to the position following Daniel Ricciardo’s retirement in the latter stages of the grand prix.
Following the chequered flag in Monza, Zhou said: “It felt like it’s been such a long time from my side and also for the team because it’s been pretty up and down.”
“The first part of the season, we had a lot of DNFs and the second part we weren’t competitive enough to be in the points. Today was a good result… a home race for Alfa Romeo.
“So, very happy and proud with the job we were able to do in the short term to turn it around from Zandvoort to here.”
Zhou endured a tough Dutch Grand Prix where he finished 16th on track, ahead of only Ricciardo and Nicholas Latifi.
However, the rookie driver has gained some confidence from getting some points on the board which is something he hopes to take into the next set of races.
“We have to analyse what was wrong [in Zandvoort] and what was good this weekend and try to be ready for the next double header, which is Singapore and Japan,” Zhou added.
“I’m really looking forward to these two races, a bit more closer to home, so I will have a lot of support there and I am excited for what is coming. But again, it will be a super tough finish to the end.”
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