Alfa Romeo's Finnish racer Valtteri Bottas (L) and Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu are introduced during the opening ceremony of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas, U.S., November 15, 2023. /CFP
Team Alfa Romeo finished ninth out of 10 teams in the 2023 Formula One (F1) constructor standings, just ahead of bottom-placed Haas.
Across 22 races, Alfa Romeo accumulated 16 points, with Finnish racer Valtteri Bottas claiming 10 and China's only F1 racer Zhou Guanyu earning six points.
In the driver standings, Bottas finished 15 while Zhou finished 18, out of 22 racers.
"Highlights? I think, sadly, I would say the very first race of the season," Bottas commented on the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix (GP), during which he got four points.
"We had a solid weekend, scored immediately, everything was looking quite good. But then it's been a tough ride. There's been a few occasions we have scored, but not enough times, so I'm definitely waiting for more highlights next year with a new car," Bottas said.
Zhou Guanyu signs autographs ahead of the F1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, April 2, 2023. /CFP
Also in the Bahrain GP, Zhou set the fastest lap at a time of 1:33.996.
"I was glad to give my contribution by setting the fastest lap in the closing stages," Zhou said after the race.
After the season-ending Abu Dhabi race, Zhou said, "Not the best result to end the season, but at least we went out there and tried everything we could... It's the end of a long season and a hard one."
"We know next year will be a fresh start: the team back in Hinwil is working hard, our new car will be completely new and I am looking forward to trying it. The margins will still be small, so making a step forward will allow us to battle for much better positions," Zhou continued.
"Now it's important for all of us to catch a bit of a breather, recover after this long season and come back with fresh energies to tackle next year," he added.
Zhou Guanyu drives Alfa Romeo race car during the F1 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain, June 4, 2023. /CFP
A review of Zhou's 2023 season
Zhou finished ninth in three races with each earning two points.
Australian GP: 2 points
Spanish GP: 2 points
Qatari GP: 2 points
Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo makes a pitstop during the F1 Qatari Grand Prix in Lusail City, Qatar, October 8, 2023. /CFP
Other race positions
12th: Austrian GP, Singapore GP
13th: Saudi Arabia GP, Monaco GP, Belgian GP, Japanese GP, United States GP
14th: Italian GP, Mexican GP
15th: British GP, Las Vegas GP
16th: Bahrain GP, Miami GP, Canadian GP, Hungarian GP
17th: Abu Dhabi GP
DNF (Did not finish): Azerbaijan GP, Dutch GP, Brazilian GP
Read more:
Super Max Verstappen dominates 2023 F1 season with 19 wins in 22 races
'I've really enjoyed my first season': Zhou Guanyu's 2022 F1 races in review