(Singapore) Chinese Zhou Guanyu has been confirmed for 2024 at Alfa Romeo (Sauber) alongside Finnish Valtteri Bottas, the Formula 1 team announced on Thursday, while Frenchman Théo Pourchaire will retain his role as reserve driver in the Swiss stable.

“The decision to continue with an unchanged driver line-up demonstrates the investment we have made in our project,” explained team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

“In Formula 1, nothing changes overnight, and we have made a conscious decision to focus on stability and continue to build our team together as we enter an important period of transition,” he said. he continued, quoted in a press release published on the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix, the 15th round of the F1 season.

Zhou Guanyu, now 24 years old, made the history of F1 and his country by becoming in 2022, with Alfa Romeo, the first Chinese to start a Grand Prix in the premier category of motorsport. Next year, he will compete in Shanghai, where he was born, his first Chinese GP, returning to the calendar after five years of absence due to COVID-19.

Bottas arrived in F1 in 2013 at Williams, before being promoted to Mercedes in 2017 to replace German world champion Nico Rosberg after his surprise retirement.

The Nordic joined the ranks of the Swiss team in 2022 on a “multi-year” contract.

Zhou’s retention as a starting driver also puts an end to Frenchman Théo Pourchaire’s hopes of joining the F1 championship next year. He will remain the team’s reserve driver.

The 20-year-old from Grasse, at the head of the Formula 2 championship, the antechamber of F1, is in a good position to win his first F2 title at the end of the final round of the championship, at the end of November in Abu Dhabi.

Starting next year, Sauber will no longer be called Alfa Romeo following the announced end of its partnership with its title sponsor at the end of the year. The Swiss team will remain powered by Ferrari before the arrival of Audi in 2026, which will power its single-seaters.