F1 star hints at new deal within weeks amid Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes stand-off

12 August 2023 , 06:00

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F1 star hints at new deal within weeks amid Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes stand-off

Zhou Guanyu hopes to have his place on the 2024 Formula 1 grid confirmed by the end of the summer break.

China's first ever F1 racer is in his second season in the sport, driving for Alfa Romeo. And it's been a difficult one for the team which currently sits ninth in the constructors' standings with just nine points from the first 12 races, Zhou responsible for securing four of those.

But despite those paltry numbers, the general consensus is that the 24-year-old has performed well, matching his much more experienced team-mate Valtteri Bottas for the most part. As he recently told Mirror Sport, he is happy with the progress he has made this year.

Zhou is one of seven drivers whose current deals expire at the end of this year. But, before heading off on his summer adventures, he gave the impression he is confident that a renewal is in his future.

"I want to have a clear picture before the summer ends, that's for sure, and we have to see what to do to make everything happen on paper," he said. "My manager is discussing with the team, so we have to see. This time last year I was more worried than right now because I feel like the team is quite happy with the job we were able to do. I'm just continuing to work as I did.

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"I think things will come but it takes a bit of time to figure out. I feel reasonably happy with the scenario and also with the people I've been working for, so obviously very happy to continue for the future. My priority is trying to stay here. After two years I really feel I'm settled well within the team."

The most high-profile figure yet to secure a contract for 2024 remains Lewis Hamilton. Ten months have passed since both he and his Mercedes team expressed their respective desires to agree a new deal, but there is still no sign of an agreement which for so long looked to be a formality.

Salary and contract length were agreed long ago. As team principal Toto Wolff recently said, it is only the minutiae of the contract which needs to be agreed upo n and that seems to be the cause of the unexpected delay.

The Austrian said: "He has many years to go as a driver within the team and therefore it is only about cleaning things up in the contract. I know it looks a little bit, 'Why is this not done and dusted?' But it is simply down to trivial things that just need to be cleaned up in the contract."

Daniel Moxon