Guanyu Zhou made history in 2022 when he became the first Chinese driver to land a full-time seat in F1. The Shanghai-born driver’s appointment at Alfa Romeo was met with some criticism because a portion of the F1 community labeled him as an F1 driver. However, once the season started, Zhou proved his worth by putting in some spectacular performances, including a points finish in his debut.
Zhou’s teammate during his rookie year in F1 was Valtteri Bottas. The 10-time Grand Prix winner in F1 left Mercedes after five years to join Alfa Romeo, and he immediately hit it off with Zhou. The Finn insisted that he wanted to use his experience to help his young teammate adapt to F1 and get better.
Now that a year has passed, Zhou admits that Bottas’ friendship and guidance have been key to his growth in F1. Off the track, they have also developed a good relationship and it seems as though Bottas has introduced Zhou to some new things that they now bond over!
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Guanyu Zhou & Valtteri Bottas bond over their love for coffee
The fact that Bottas loves coffee is not really a secret as the 33-year-old has showcased his liking towards the beverage on several occasions. However, before joining Alfa Romeo, Zhou had only two cups of coffee in the last four-five years. This was revealed why Zhou himself during an interview with Sky Sports at the Alfa Romeo car launch.
Alfa Romeo’s car launch involved Bottas, Zhou and even their reserve driver Theo Pourchaire. After the event, the three of them were part of an interview where the host asked Zhou if he shared Bottas’ love for coffee. The former admitted that having coffee has now become a very regular thing for him.
Zhou now, has coffee every single day and sometimes has more than one cup during a race weekend. Zhou went on to say that the coffee Bottas makes himself is ‘delicious’ but he still does not drink as much coffee as the former Mercedes driver does.
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Bottas aiming for more consistency & points
After spending five years with a title winning outfit, Bottas time at Alfa Romeo was always going to feel different. However, they did make major strides last year and ended the season in sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
2022 was a big year for Alfa Romeo, but a lot of people noticed their lack in consistency which sometimes limited their charge up the field. Ahead of the 2023 season, Bottas’ main goal along with Alfa Romeo’s, is to improve their consistency.
This will help them score points as they aim to hold on to at least sixth place in the constructors’ championship for the upcoming campaign.
