Zhou Guanyu has agreed a new deal with Alfa Romeo that will see him remain with the team for the 2023 season.

Zhou is the first full-time Chinese driver in Formula 1 and during his rookie season he has impressed with consistency, a calm head in the face of adversity and good speed, and he absolutely deserves another year at least alongside Valtteri Bottas.

Indeed, though Bottas is some way ahead of Zhou in the points, that only tells half of the story with the Chinese driver suffering some rotten luck with car reliability at times this year, whilst Alpine and McLaren have overtaken Alfa over the course of the season and made points scoring a little harder to achieve.

Zhou excited to stay at Alfa Romeo

Zhou Guanyi in the paddock in Budapest

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 30: Zhou Guanyu of China and Alfa Romeo F1 walks in the Paddock prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 30, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Zhou was the man to bring Alfa's barren spell of finishing outside the points to an end last time out, though, with him finishing 10th at Monza to break the team's drought, which had stemmed from the Canadian Grand Prix, and it's clear he is a very capable driver who looks at home in the F1 field.

Speaking to the team's media, Zhou had this to say:

“I am happy and grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN for the opportunity to be part of the team for another season.

"Making it to Formula 1 was a dream come true and the feeling of competing for the first time in a race will live with me forever: the team has been incredibly supportive, welcoming me from day one and helping me adapt to the most complex series in motorsport.

"There is more that I want to achieve in this sport and with the team, and the hard work we have put together since the start of the year is just the first step towards where we want to be next season.

There is still a lot to learn, a lot to develop but I am confident in our work: I am looking forward to the next chapter of our story together.

Frederic Vasseur pleased with Zhou's performance

Frederic Vasseur speaks in Barcelona

BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 24: Alfa Romeo Racing Team Principal Frederic Vasseur talks in the Team Principals Press Conference during Day Two of F1 Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 24, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Sutton - Pool/Getty Images)

Team principal Frederic Vasseur commented, meanwhile:

“I am looking forward to continuing working with Zhou. 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 Formula 1 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.”

Zhou will now be looking to try and end this season on a high, whilst also looking forward to a second year in the sport, which should also see him racing at his home Grand Prix in China in April.

READ MORE: THE 2023 FORMULA 1 CALENDAR

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