Zhou Guanyu is the undisputed 2022 Formula 1 Rookie of the Year. Albeit, he was the only rookie on the grid last year, that cannot take away the stellar performances he’s put in alongside his Alfa Romeo teammate Valtteri Bottas. That being said, one argument F1 fans make against Zhou, is the fact that he is someone who can be termed as a ‘Pay-Driver’. It has been speculated that the Chinese driver has brought a backing of $48 million into the game. But Zhou gave his critics the perfect response.

Zhou has been monumental in Alfa Romeo’s 2022 success. Alfa Romeo has been blisteringly quick this season, at least explicitly so in the first half of the season. That being said, Zhou feels that his critics have a very convoluted perspective of their criticism of him.

He told GPFans, “The financial thing is definitely not true. It’s people making up stuff and then obviously a lot of people go with it because people don’t know me and they don’t know anything about me. They don’t watch F2, they don’t watch other series. They’re just looking at your nationality or something, which is a bit unfair in a way, but that’s how it is in the world.”

“Straight away, we started on a high in the first race and then continued to build up from there. I was really happy to just get rid of these pressures and this wild speaking in the background, and everybody changed their opinion of me a lot.”

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His appraisal apart, his teammate has now chipped in with his own verdict of the Chinese driver’s 2022 season.

Valtteri Bottas gives his honest opinion on Zhou Guanyu

Sometimes, your teammate can be the best judge of your performance. It’s simply because, given the identical nature of the machinery and the sharing of data as a team, he has the best perspective on your driving performance. And Valtteri Bottas has now passed his judgment.

He was quoted by Formula1news.co.uk as saying, “When the car was there, that was still his learning period, let’s say. After that, he developed so much throughout the year. What was impressive was how few mistakes he made–almost none–and that’s pretty special for a rookie.” 

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Can Zhou Guanyu step his F1 game another notch up in 2023? Or will his F1 career be jeopardized by Audi’s imminent entry into the sport and sub-par results?