Jumping from Formula 2 to Formula 1 is the logical step in the sports career of any driver who dreams of reaching the top of motorsport, and it is something that Guanyu Zhou achieved, who went from the antechamber of the Great Circus to be one of the members of the exclusive grill.
During his time in F2, the Chinese had to wait three years to achieve what he had longed for so long, to move up to a top-flight team. It was 20 podiums, 5 victories and a third place as the best result in the general classification that certified Zhou’s ticket to land in Alfa Romeo as a starter for the 2022 course.
However, until his confirmation as a Formula 1 driver, many rumors arose about a possible arrival at Alpine in the future, and that is that the Shanghai driver belonged to the young driver academy, as another of the great protagonists of the Alpine transfer market. the 2023 season, Oscar Piastri .
Both rivaled for the championship last year, but it was the Australian who took the title with almost absolute dominance. However, Piastri did not get a seat in the Great Circus, while Zhou chose to leave Alpine to embark on an adventure that opened other doors for him, as happened in Hinwil.
At that time, some thought that it was the least successful decision for the Chinese, since he was separating from a team with its own motorist to go to a customer team, but the Alfa Romeo team defends itself months later.
The Piastri-Alpine case has been the trigger to agree with the only Chinese driver in the history of Formula 1, something that Zhou himself was already sure of: “My ties with them [Alpine] have already been completely cut “.
“Everything went well because my contract ended at the end of last season, and it was up to both of us if we wanted to continue or not, but an opportunity arose at Alfa Romeo,” the 23-year-old revealed to Racer .
“The agreement was not to continue in Alpine, because I didn’t see a place where I could be this season or next,” Zhou explained. “Alfa Romeo and Alpine are very important brands, not only in Formula 1, but in general.”
“Leaving Alpine wasn’t easy, but I’m happy that everything worked out. If I stayed another year, I’d be stuck like Oscar [Piastri]. That wouldn’t be the best thing for me either, so I saw the opportunity and I took it, it was a very good decision,” said the Chinese.
The outcome between Alpine, McLaren, Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo is yet to be known, and it is possible that there will be an exchange of Australians between the two teams, or that the youngest of the duo wears orange in Woking and that the veteran leave the project.
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