Zhou is not blamed for anything: 'He can't do anything about it'

With Piastri and Zhou first and second place in the F2 championship, Alpine have done well with their training program, but the French team forgot one step: to arrange a place for their talents in F1. Zhou, as number two, will now get a chance at Alfa Romeo thanks to the big bag of money he brings with him, while Piastri has to settle for a reserve role at Alpine.

Zhou is to be congratulated

''I’ve 99% made peace with it. Of course, there’s always going to be that lingering belief that I should be on the F1 grid next year. I knew from very early on that my chances of getting to F1 for next season were very slim. If you can’t be on the F1 grid, the next best thing is to be a reserve driver. So from pretty early on, that’s what I wanted to target and what we were working on'', the Australian said in conversation with The Race.

Piastri does not blame Zhou for having a seat. ''At the end of the day, we’re all trying to get to F1. And obviously Zhou’s got some financial support behind him, but it’s not his fault that somebody is willing to get him to F1 at all. So, there’s certainly no personal grudge against him for that. And he’s having a good year as well. He’s second in the championship, three wins'', concluded the leader in the F2 championship.