Guanyu Zhou 'pumped up' as Alfa Romeo unveil car for 2022 Formula 1 season

China's first Formula One driver Zhou Guanyu said he is "fully pumped up" for his debut season after Alfa Romeo officially unveiled the car for the 2022 campaign on Sunday.

The 22-year-old's historic moment will come on 20 March in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Zhou's team-mate will be the vastly experienced Finnish pilot Valtteri Bottas, who moved from Mercedes where he had played second fiddle to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Zhou and Bottas will bid to improve on Alfa Romeo's return of just 13 points last season.

The two drivers were able to give the car a spin in testing in Barcelona last week although Bottas only managed 10 laps and Zhou 41 on Friday (25 Feb).

OK, we’re in love ?? #C42 pic.twitter.com/NCEVYDH6Om

"I am fully pumped up for the season and seeing the C42 (the car) in the livery in which I will race it definitely makes it real," said Zhou on the team website.

"We are at the beginning of a new era, with new cars and new regulations, and this creates an opportunity for all teams to make progress since we are all starting from scratch.

"I can't wait to be on the grid with this car and work with my team to bring home the results we are targeting together."

Bottas, 32, said he was on tenterhooks as to how things will go in Bahrain.

"What is exciting is that we have no idea how that first race is going to pan out," he said.

"Testing helped us confirm our expectations of where we stand, the progress we have made with the car, but now we are getting closer to the moment that really matters."

Guanyu Zhou, as you’ve never seen him before. ?? @GuanyuZhou24 pic.twitter.com/WWgFhHkteA

Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said it was an exciting moment for all those involved in creating the car he hopes