In the bag! Alfa Romeo rewards 2022 F1 debutant Zhou Guanyu with new contract

Zhou Guanyu will see his Formula 1 career continue into 2023 after Alfa Romeo confirmed the driver's stay with the team. Guanyu has been impressive since making his debut at the season-opening race in Bahrain, scoring a point for his 10th-place finish.

The team already has teammate and ex-Mercedes driver, Valtteri Bottas, tied down to a multi-year contract, but Guanyu's announcement took longer to be confirmed.

"I am looking forward to continuing working with Zhou," said Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.

"From day one with the team, at the Abu Dhabi test last year, he has impressed me with his approach to work, and this is always a very positive trait. We knew he was quick, but the way he adapted to F1 in such a short time has been one of the best surprises of our season.

"He is a very nice guy; everyone in the team likes both his personality and attitude. He has had the humility to ask questions and learn from the engineers as well as Valtteri, and the intelligence to apply all the information he got to improve race after race.

"He will have this experience to draw on next season, and I am sure he will make another step forward as we continue to grow our team."

The only Chinese driver

Guanyu is the only Chinese driver on the F1 grid and the first from this Eastern country to have secured a full-time racing seat. His entry to F1 was highly anticipated, and he proved that he is deserving of his seat.

Along with Bahrain, he also scored points in Canada and Italy.

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Guanyu said of his new deal: "I am happy and grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 Team for the opportunity to be part of the team for another season. There