Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur has revealed that the team have decided as to who their second driver for 2022 will be.
There has been a lot of talk about the team’s driver line-up for 2022 this year. Earlier this year, Kimi Raikkonen announced that he would be retiring from F1 at the end of the season. To replace him, the Swiss team have signed current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. It is yet to be seen as who will partner him next year.
According to Vasseur, the decision has been made already. While speaking to Canal+ on a Twitch stream, the Frenchman said that the driver’s name would be announced next Tuesday, after the Brazilian GP.
It seems highly unlikely that Antonio Giovinazzi will remain at Alfa Romeo. The Italian driver has had an uneventful time with the team, and they are looking to bring in a driver who can also contribute monetarily. Giovinazzi’s recent sarcastic dig at his team’s strategy in Mexico seems to all but confirm his departure.
Sono il classico ragazzo che cerca sempre il lato positivo delle cose. Oggi è impossibile.
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Sometimes it’s simple to look at the bright side, sometimes it’s hard. Today it’s impossible.#MexicoGP #AG99🐝 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2lN3tgn6P6— Antonio Giovinazzi (@Anto_Giovinazzi) November 7, 2021
Guanyu Zhou is the most probable replacement for Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo
The Chinese driver is currently 2nd in the Formula 2 Championship. He is a part of Alpine’s driver program. However, he is set to cut ties with the French team to secure a seat in F1.
Zhou is also expected to bring in a significant amount of sponsorship money from Chinese investors, vital for the Swiss team.
Before Zhou, there were talks of Michael Andretti buying the team. In that case, we would have most likely seen a different driver join the team. Those talks have since collapsed, and the 22-year-old from Shanghai is the heavy favourite to partner Bottas in 2022.
Alfa Romeo is currently 9th in the Constructor’s standings with 11 points to their name. Out of those 11 points, Giovinazzi has earned just 1.
