Guanyu’s signature Zhou with Alfa Romeo it precluded not only the confirmation of Antonio Giovinazzi but also the promotion of other young people in Formula 1. Probably more talented, certainly less moneyed, even if with his back well protected by the growth programs with the teams. For example, Oscar Piastri, new Alpine reserve driver, Callum Ilott (who, although he almost never had any hope, said he was disappointed by Zhou’s promotion) and Theo Pourchaire, the protégé of the Sauber family. Frederic Vasseur dotes on the very young and certainly thought of him as a substitute for Giovinazzi. But in the end the French did not feel like it and preferred to focus on the financial certainties that Zhou provided, also fearing to burn Pourchaire.
The 18-year-old did not hide his regret for missing a delicious opportunity: “I am obviously disappointed and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Even though I am always told that I am young and have plenty of time to get to F1, I am disappointed as I was very close to making it.“, He told ad Auto Hebdo. “It was a duel between me and Zhou, I can confirm it. As I have said on other occasions, I think I deserve Formula 1: it will not happen in 2022 for various reasons, I respect the decision. The most important thing is that she has the confidence of Sauber and if what they have planned for me for the future works 100%, it would be a very interesting scenario.“.
Vasseur he admitted that he seriously considered Pourchaire, but he justified Zhou’s choice with the experience that the Chinese gained in a single-seater: “We’ve had long talks for the past two weeks. Theo had a fantastic debut season in Formula 2, but we must also take into account that 18 months ago he was in Formula 4. The step between this category and Formula 3 was huge. Then he did well in F3 and F2, also winning in Monte-Carlo. But a Formula 1 is very complex and we only have six days of testing before the season: from my point of view it was too risky and challenging for him to take this step now. It is much better to be focused on Formula 2 next year, then we will see in the future. He will definitely do some PL1 and other test days. We will try to prepare him for the future, but – I repeat myself – if you compete in Formula 2 the best thing is to focus on that championship, win it and have no other distractions. I will ask him to take the title“.
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