The bottom two in the class say goodbye, their place being taken by the already announced/rumored duo of Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Guanyu Zhou's performance has been almost non-existent lately, with the Chinese driver failing to display any of the qualities one would typically expect from F1-level drivers. Valtteri Bottas's reputation has also long since dimmed, with the Finn perhaps a bit worn out, making the stakes decision entirely understandable.
"Based on our honest and open discussions with Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas, we have come to the conclusion that our collaboration can no longer continue, as the conditions cannot be met, and we have therefore decided to part ways. However, we would like to emphasize that we are both very grateful to them for what they have done for the team over the past three years. They are true professionals who handle success and defeat with dignity, and who, with their experience and enthusiasm, have greatly helped the team to become stronger and more competitive," the team statement read.
So, quietly, two Formula 1 careers come to an end, as we don't see much chance of these names ever being on the starting grid again.
