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'He is one of the few drivers who can surpass Hamilton'

'He is one of the few drivers who can surpass Hamilton'

25-01-2022 14:01 Last update: 16:47
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GPblog.com

Next season we are going to see only one rookie on the Formula 1 grid. Guanyu Zhou. The Alfa Romeo driver will also make history when he starts in Bahrain. He will become the very first Chinese Formula One driver.

No better teammate than Bottas

Valtteri Bottas will trade his seat at championship team Mercedes for backmarkers Alfa Romeo next season. For Bottas it is a big step back, but Zhou is only too happy with his experienced teammate. The Chinese driver could not wish for a better teammate, as he told in an interview on social media to F1i.com. "If I want to beat him, I know I have to work very hard and adapt to Formula 1 very quickly."

Above all, Bottas can help his young teammate along the way. According to Zhou, Bottas is very open and shares his information with the team and himself. According to Zhou, Bottas is one of the few drivers who can surpass Hamilton. For Zhou, Bottas is a good reference to draw on. "I hope to improve with him next year," he said.

Small goals for Zhou in rookie season

In 2021, Zhou became champion in the Asian F3 Championship and third in the Formula 2 Championship, behind Oscar Piastri and Robert Shwartzman. The Alfa Romeo driver managed to win a total of four races. With his goals for next season, he is still cautious, because he has no idea how competitive the car will be.

Zhou will have to wait until the beginning of the season but does not think he can score points in the first few races. He especially does not want to put too much pressure on himself, enjoy racing in Formula 1 and learn from his teammate and the engineers. "If I improve in all areas, the results will come naturally."