This article was written by Reuters:

Alfa Romeo announced Guanyu Zhou as China's first Formula One racing driver on Tuesday with his arrival in 2022 hailed by both the team and the sport as a historic breakthrough in a key growth market.

The 22-year-old will partner Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who is joining from Mercedes after five seasons alongside seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, in an all-new line-up.

Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said the signing was "fantastic for the sport and millions of passionate Chinese fans that now have a home hero to cheer all year long."

"Zhou is an incredible talent, who will be a fantastic addition to the amazing grid we have and he will entertain and keep all our Chinese fans excited in 2022," Domenicali said.

The youngster takes the place of Ferrari-backed Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi, while Finnish veteran Kimi Raikkonen is retiring.

"The decision is crucial for the future of the company," said Alfa team principal Frederic Vasseur, whose team are ninth out of 10 in the constructors' standings.

"It was not only based on the fact that he is Chinese but it will be a mega-push for the company, for sponsors and I think also for F1 in general," he told Reuters.

"He's a front-runner in F2, he won in Bahrain and Silverstone this season and is still in a position to win the championship and it’s a very good combination at the end. I’m more than optimistic."

Zhou is a test driver for the Renault-owned Alpine F1 team this season, and drove their car in Friday practice in Austria last July.

He is also second in the Formula Two standings, with two weekends to come in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

"I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I'm passionate about and now the dream has come true," said Zhou in a team statement.

"To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula One is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history."