"To get into F1, you have to be in the right place and the right opportunity, and when you have all the conditions, you need to wait for an opportunity and then seize it."
——Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu is China's first F1 driver
As we all know, the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and Formula 1 are the three major sports events in the world, however, no Chinese racing driver has ever appeared in the main race of F1 before, and impacting F1 has become the target of all Chinese drivers. And Zhou Guanyu, who is closest to this goal, now, he has finally waited!
On 16 November, Alfa Romeo ORLEN announced that Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu has officially joined and will compete in the 2022 Formula One Championship next March. The young Chinese driver, who has won multiple races in the FIA F2 Championship, will also make his F1 debut in next season's Bahrain opener.
Speaking about the franchise, Zhou Guanyu shared: "I have dreamed of climbing as high as possible in a sport I love since I was a child, and now my dream has come true. It was an honour for me to start my F1 career in a team like Alfa Romeo ORLEN, a historic team that has brought in many young and talented drivers to F1 in the past, so it's like a dream for me now. I feel like I'm ready, ready for the big challenge of the pyramid tip of racing – Formula One, and look forward to fighting alongside a world-class driver like Valtri Bottas, and for that I would like to thank Alfa Romeo ORLEN for this opportunity and the trust they have placed in me. ”
Image source: Jiushi Wisdom Sports public number
The addition of young driver Zhou Guanyu will inject more talent and youthful enthusiasm into the team. "We are delighted to welcome Zhou Guanyu to the Alfa Romeo ORLEN team." In the view of Frédéric Vasseur, chairman of the Alfa Romeo ORLEN team, Zhou Guanyu is a very talented driver, "We look forward to helping his talent get more play in F1, at the same time, we are also proud of our 2022 driver squad, I believe that the combination of Zhou Guanyu and Bottas will be a great success The Alfa Romeo ORLEN team has a long history and highlights the spirit of F1. We will do our best to bring the ultimate experience of F1 sports to Chinese car fans. ”
Zhou Guanyu grew up completely according to the trajectory of an F1 driver, whether it is performance, performance, or growth experience, it is in line with all the expectations of the racing circle for F1 drivers. His F1 dream began when he was a child, when he was 7 years old, he first appeared in the Quyang karting field in Shanghai accompanied by his father. He got into a two-seater go-kart and fell in love with the sport of speed. In order to help Zhou Guanyu practice go-karting, his father built the Guanyu Automobile Park in Weifang, Shandong Province. In the Guanyu Automobile Park, his father specially built a karting lane for him. Since 2008, Zhou Guanyu has participated in domestic karting competitions for three consecutive years, winning the Junior NCJ-A Group Champion and Best Newcomer at the Karting Championship; in 2010, he won the NCJ-B Group Champion and the Most Promising Driver Award... Before the age of 10, he had dominated the domestic karting field. It was also from then on that Zhou Guanyu gradually developed the dream of becoming a professional racing driver.
At the age of 11, he left his hometown of Shanghai to study and train in Sheffield, England; at the age of 15, he became a youth driver at the Ferrari Drivers' Academy, competing in several levels of racing, and gradually became well known in the racing circle. So far, the 22-year-old Zhou Guanyu has achieved impressive results at all levels of the competition, which has also gained the long-term attention of many F1 teams. Following the 2015 runner-up of the Italian F4 Driver of the Year (Rookie Champion of the Year), Zhou Guanyu has repeatedly stood on the top stage in F1's cushion races: F3 Championship and F2 Championship.
After being promoted to F2, Zhou Guanyu's driving skills and thinking ability have undoubtedly gone up to a new level, and this teenager who has dreamed of representing the motherland on the stage of the F1 main race since he was a child has now strengthened his belief, "In foreign countries, there are very few Chinese racing drivers who have similar experiences, after all, China's racing starting point cannot be compared with foreign countries." But in other sports, there are many people who have dreams like me, but no matter what the project, no matter what the final outcome, the dream is the most important. ”
Image source: Zhou Guanyu Weibo
In 2020, under the huge impact of the epidemic, Zhou Guanyu won the first F2 championship, ranking sixth in the standings, completing the small goal he set for himself in 2020. On the way to F1, Zhou Guanyu has always been very concerned about the super driver's license, because as long as he gets the super driver's license, he is equivalent to having a pass to enter F1. 'A super driver's license is the most important or indispensable condition for getting into F1, getting a lot of points before the F2 season, waiting for the season to be finished when I get the super driver's license, I have a chance to find a vacant seat and make me a real F1 driver." At every step, Zhou Guanyu walked steadily and accurately, down-to-earth, and he hoped that more people would know and see the efforts of such a young Chinese driver on the road to realizing his F1 dream.
Mia Sharizmann, director of the Alpine Academy (formerly known as the Renault Sports Academy), said earlier this year that young drivers like Zhou Guanyu, who are excellent and have great potential, are getting closer to F1 – for China, which has not yet had F1 drivers, Zhou Guanyu personally carries the precious opportunity of "once in a generation".
As a speed driver who is good at overtaking, in the 2020 season, Zhou Guanyu won the title of "Top Ten Overtaking cars of the year". When asked about the "ideal track" in his mind, he laughed and replied, "I like an all-round track, with high-speed corners, S-bends and low-speed U-turns, especially overtaking points, whether from the perspective of drivers or spectators, a wonderful and intense race is what everyone expects." ”
Predicting in advance, this is Zhou Guanyu's "overtaking secret", he told us, "not only look at the corners in front of you, but also observe the next two or three corners, but also pay attention to drs (adjustable tail), otherwise it is likely to be overtaken by the opponent on the straight, without any defensive ability." Therefore, drivers need to predict in advance: there are several corners in the back, which track the opponent has weaknesses on, know each other, and try to open the gap as much as possible to avoid being overtaken by the opponent. ”
The hardship and rigor of pre-match training speaks for itself. "Regularity" is the principle that Zhou Guanyu's schedule cannot be broken, Zhou Guanyu revealed that in the two weeks before the game, diet distribution is particularly important, of course, daily training can not be slackened. Sometimes in the gym is a whole day, aerobic exercise in the morning, anaerobic training in the afternoon, of course, we will also specifically target the neck, cervical spine and arm strength for targeted training, and even practice balance to ensure balance in the cockpit. "In addition, before the race, we will also train in simulators to adapt to each track, or have a meeting with the team, collect data from previous races in advance, and prepare as much as possible before the race."
As a super fan of F1 e-sports, in January this year, Zhou Guanyu was invited to serve as the commentator of the finals of the 2020 F1 E-sports China Championship, and for the feeling of experiencing F1 e-sports, he said that although F1 e-sports does not have the resistance, centrifugal force and speed sense in the real competition, it is very close as a whole. Zhou Guanyu believes: "F1 esports is the best choice to experience F1 driving. In this regard, contemporary young people are very fortunate. ”
Whether it was helping to raise the five-star red flag for the first time in F2 or helping to play the Chinese national anthem after winning in European F3 before, Zhou Guanyu was very proud. Before officially becoming an F1 racing driver, whenever talking about F1, the young boy will not deliberately hide his ambitions, "With the improvement of results, I believe that the realization of my F1 dream is no longer far away, the final stage is the most difficult and bitter stage, but I will persevere and strive to realize my Chinese dream as soon as possible." Sports need to speak in terms of achievements. As long as they have results, they will also know Chinese can do well in the field of racing. ”
Looking forward to the future, Zhou Guanyu's tone is full of firmness and confidence, "Next year my goal will be to learn and improve myself as much as possible and as quickly as possible." I became the first Chinese driver ever to participate in Formula One, which is a breakthrough for Chinese racing, and I know that a lot of people have high hopes for me, and I will continue to use this as motivation to try harder to make myself better and strive for more results. ”
As China's first F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu is undoubtedly a trailblazer who will write a colorful page in China's racing history. Bravery, dedication and commitment are the main themes of his road to F1, even without the guidance of his predecessors, he still has a firm belief in himself, as well as the firm support of his family and team, all the way through the thorns and chases his dreams.