SINGAPORE (AFP) -- Zhou Guanyu, China's only Formula One driver, said on Thursday, Sept. 14, that he has extended his contract with Alfa Romeo to the end of the 2024 season.

He will now get the chance to race on home soil for the first time in Formula One, with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai returning in April next year for the first time since the Covid pandemic.

"Next year I have my home race, I've been waiting for it for two years already," the 24-year-old Zhou told reporters ahead of Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix.

"I think it will be forever a memorable weekend for me in Formula One because I grew up, obviously, watching the race back home in China.

"It's going to be amazing just to catch up with the fans and the people in the home crowd."

Zhou heads into his third season on the grid where he will again partner Valtteri Bottas in the Swiss-based team, which is expected to revert to its Sauber name for the 2024 campaign.

"Signing again with the team is always a great feeling, especially when we know how things are shaping up," added Zhou, who scored a point on his debut at Bahrain in 2022 and has shown steady improvement since.

"I have been working extremely hard since day one and there is an incredible level of motivation to keep doing so every day going forward."

Alfa Romeo said in a statement that Zhou had "competed in his second year in the sport with maturity and a methodical approach that won him even more supporters within the team.

"It makes the extension of the partnership with Alfa Romeo a natural conclusion as he aims for further improvement."