Rumors
F1 dream over for De Vries? 'Zhou has deal with Alfa Romeo'
- GPblog.com
It looks very likely that Valtteri Bottas will have a rookie as his teammate at Alfa Romeo in 2022. According to the latest reports, Guanyu Zhou just needs to score enough points to get his super license. If successful, he will be appointed as second driver.
Zhou has already signed with Alfa Romeo
According to the Italian branch of Motorsport.com Zhou has already signed the deal with Alfa Romeo. The only thing the Chinese driver lacks is enough points to apply for a super license. The lack of super license of the 22-year-old driver would also be the only reason that he has not yet been presented as a driver for next season.
Zhou is currently on a points total of 29 after finishing seventh and sixth in previous F2 seasons. He also scored another ten points by winning the Asian Formula 3 Championship. Currently, the UNI-Virtuosi Racing driver is on the second place which will give him enough points, but mathematically Zhou can still fall far back in the championship so he won't score enough points.
In addition, there is still a way out if Zhou does not reach the 40 points. Because of a new rule introduced because of the coronavirus a driver with 30 points can still apply to the FIA for a super license. The FIA will then examine whether there have been any impediments due to force majeure, which includes the coronavirus.
De Vries must postpone F1 dream
For Nyck de Vries , this would mean that he will not be driving Formula 1 in 2022. Alfa Romeo are still interested in the Dutchman, but Zhou brings a lot of money next to his talent. Something that is missing for De Vries. Furthermore, there are no more options to join another team in 2022.