Only one steering wheel remains on the 2022 grid, that of the second Alfa Romeo. Fréd Vasseur, team manager, spoke in Turkey about the available options and confirmed that he is not in a hurry “because the situation will not change in the next few days. “ It is discussed in the paddock that Guanyu Zhou, The 22-year-old made a generous offer to Sauber in exchange for two seasons in Formula 1. It would also be a gold mine for any automaker: a Chinese driver in the Big circus it can mobilize a very important market.
Oscar Piastri, Australian 20 years old, has better numbers and Vasseur recognizes it, although he throws an important ‘but’: “He won, consecutively, Formula Renault, F3 and now leads F2. He is doing a good job and is consistent and fast . But as far as I know, it’s linked to Alpine. If you invest in a driver, there is no point in letting him go to another F1 team. And a one-year contract is a good option, but when you have a young driver with a new car, you have to make sure you don’t lose the driver after the first year. “
It seems difficult, today, for Giovinazzi to keep the seat and be a teammate with Bottas next season. The Italian is 18th in the standings with just one point, although he has been regularly faster than Raikkonen on Saturdays. Still, his recent accidents don’t help convince Vasseur. It seems that other factors will come into play in the decision.