Formula 1: Major 2022 driver announcement leaked?

There is still officially a seat open in the 2022 Formula 1 driver lineup, but the announcement as to who will take that seat may have been leaked.

It has been quite some time since a driver was confirmed for the 2022 Formula 1 season, leaving just one remaining seat in the 20-car field for next year.

The one remaining seat is with Alfa Romeo, which have only confirmed the addition of Valtteri Bottas to replace the retiring Kimi Raikkonen following the 2021 season. Bottas is set to be replaced by George Russell at Mercedes, while Russell is set to be replaced by Alexander Albon at Williams.

Currently occupying the second Alfa Romeo seat is Antonio Giovinazzi, who has been with the team since 2019 along with Raikkonen.

However, there has long been speculation that he will be out after 2021.

First of all, Giovinazzi is a Ferrari driver, and they currently have the right to select one of Alfa Romeo’s two drivers. Giovinazzi has been their pick since 2019 after Charles Leclerc left the team to replace Raikkonen at the works Ferrari team. But beginning next year, Ferrari will lose that right.

Several names have been tossed around in regard to who might take Giovinazzi’s seat, provided he doesn’t return in 2022, including reigning Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, current Formula 2 points leader Oscar Piastri, current Formula 2 runner-up Guanyu Zhou, and even IndyCar driver Colton Herta, back when the Andretti takeover rumors were still in full swing.

But it is Zhou who has been tipped as the likely driver to complete the lineup puzzle for 2022, and while not confirmed by the team or the 22-year Chinese driver, this announcement may very well have been leaked in his home country.

If confirmed by the team, Zhou would become the first Chinese Formula 1 driver, and Alfa Romeo dealers across the country are already congratulating him on that status, sharing the message “Congrats to Zhou on becoming the first Chinese F1 driver.”

With all things considered, it seems as though confirmation from Alfa Romeo is nothing more than a formality when it comes to Guanyu Zhou competing in Formula 1 alongside Bottas next year. So when will the official announcement be made?