Alfa Romeo is reportedly set to reward Zhou Guanyu with a contract extension for his impressive start to the 2023 season

Alfa Romeo is happy with how Zhou Guanyu has performed so far in the 2023 F1 season.

Alfa Romeo is reportedly set to reward Zhou Guanyu with a contract extension for his impressive start to the 2023 season

Zhou Guanyu (Credits: Grand Prix 247)

Alfa Romeo, the Ferrari-sister team, has decided to give its Chinese driver, Zhou Guanyu, a contracted extension at the pinnacle of motor racing. Zhou’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign, but it seems he is going to stay around during the next season of the sport as well.

Zhou Guanyu came into the 2023 F1 season with the sole objective of putting in consistent performances. The campaign is 12 rounds down, and it is believed that the Chinese starlet has done enough to secure a contract extension with Alfa Romeo for next year. To the surprise of several pundits, Zhou has been at par with his more experienced teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

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Moreover, the 24-year-old, on some occasions, has been able to outperform the 10-time Grand Prix winner in terms of one-lap and race-term pace. His qualifying outing for the Hungarian Grand Prix was simply sensational, and it made several people raise their eyebrows in the Formula 1 paddock.

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While the Chinese driver’s contract extension, as reported by Formula.Uno.com, is great news for him and his fans, one other reason behind Alfa Romeo’s thinking is believed to be stability. The Hinwii-based team is pleased with the partnership of Bottas and Gunayu and wants to continue with it, at least for next year.

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Alfa Romeo has been average at best during the 2023 F1 season

Alfa Romeo (Credits: Motorsport.com)
Alfa Romeo (Credits: Motorsport.com)

While Alfa Romeo is set to continue with its current driver line-up for next year, the team’s Achilles heel during the ongoing campaign has been the lackluster performance output of the C43. Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas have performed very well this year, but the car underneath them has not proved to be potent machinery.

This is one of the main reasons the Ferrari-sister team is ninth in the Constructors standings. The team has managed only 9 points so far in the season, and they have fallen massively backward of the grid. Alfa Romeo finished the 2022 Formula 1 season in a decent sixth in the Constructors standings.

Taking into account everything that has been discussed above, the only thing going for them is that Alfa Romeo’s drivers are performing as per expectations. However, when it comes to the performance output of its car, it needs to make a massive step to put in good performances during the second leg of the 2023 campaign.

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