Yahoo Autos Alfa Romeo Formula 1 Extends Zhou Guanyu
Sauber's Alfa Romeo-branded Formula 1 team has officially extended Zhou Guanyu for the 2023 season, ensuring that the year's only F1 rookie will continue in the series for at least one more year.
Zhou moved up to F1 in 2022 after three seasons in Formula 2, the last of which saw him finish third behind Robert Shwartzman and series champion Oscar Piastri. He also won the Formula 3 Asia championship in the 2020-2021 offseason.
Despite the less-than-stellar pre-F1 resume, Zhou has been a solid performer in the Alfa Romeo as a rookie. He's been able to find his way into the points on multiple occasions, including during the category's most recent race in Italy.
Zhou sits 17th in the 2022 F1 standings after 16 races. He has scored points just three times, but those results include an impressive tenth to open his career and a career-best finish of eighth in Canada over the Summer. For comparison, veteran teammate Valtteri Bottas is tenth in the series standings with seven points-scoring finishes and a season-high result of fifth. Zhou's 10th-place finish at Monza earlier this month is the team's only points-scoring result since the Canadian GP.
The extension lasts for just one season. Swirling rumors seem to indicate that the Sauber program will lose its Alfa Romeo branding for Audi factory status as part of a partial buyout completed by 2026; Zhou will have plenty of time to establish himself on the grid before that change has an effect on his career.
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