The team will therefore continue to rely on the proven duo of Zhou and the Finn Valtteri Bottas (33) in the coming year.
Zhou is the first Chinese pilot in the premier class. He made his debut this year and has finished in the points three times.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him,” says team boss Frédéric Vasseur. “We knew he was fast – but the way he has adapted to Formula 1 in such a short time has been one of the biggest surprises of this season.”
Alfa Romeo extends Formula 1 contract with Guanyu Zhou.
More importantly, Zhou also brings a sponsorship dowry in the tens of millions and connects Formula 1 with the all-important Chinese market.
“There is no rush and we are in a comfortable position,” says CEO Laurent Rossi. “In all modesty: we have the hottest place in the paddock at the moment. People wait for us before making a decision.”
In addition to Mick Schumacher, Antonio Giovinazzi, Jack Doohan, Nyck de Vries, Pierre Gasly (still with AlphaTauri) and Daniel Ricciardo are also on the shortlist.
