Zhou Guanyu hopes to get his first F1 point in his rookie season

After winning the spot for Alfa Romeo in 2022, Zhou Guanyu is eager to show his skills in F1.

Next month, Zhou Guanyu will make his F1 debut in Bahrain with his seasoned teammate Walteri Bottas, who moved from Mercedes in the winter.

Zhou Guanyu was replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi, and the Italian driver attributed the decision to money. Alfa Romeo did talk about the value of having China's first F1 driver to sponsorship revenue. Of course, Zhou Guanyu won four races in the 2021 F2 season, showing good strength. Still, he wants to eliminate his "paying driver" label by proving his abilities on the big stage of F1.

Zhou Guanyu said: "I can't influence the thinking of some people. In my opinion, I showed in F2 what I needed in F1, where I won the race and fought for the championship. Now I'm also going to show off my skills in F1 and I can't wait! ”

Born in Shanghai, China, Zhou Guanyu moved to Sheffield, England, in 2012 to race in a competitive go-kart environment. The early stages were tough, but Zhou Guanyu persevered and has now secured a seat in F1.

"I moved to the UK in 2012 and everything is different from China, it's hard to adapt because first you have to learn the language to understand anything," Zhou said. From the point of view of the competition, it is also difficult because the level of competition in Europe is much higher. I had to learn a lot of things. The situation was particularly complicated at first, so the results I had hoped for did not appear immediately.

He continued: "One more thing... I lacked a Chinese role model who could have shown me the right path to F1. No one in my country has ever walked this path before, and my family and I must find the right path on my own. It's more of a roller coaster ride than a constant journey of joy. I really had to make a lot of sacrifices to get into F1 and my parents are now very proud of what I achieved. In China, it is difficult for me to get to the current level. I had to chase this dream with all my might at a very young age, I had to prove myself in F4, F3 and F2, I had to win the race and win the championship. ”

The Chinese driver is the only rookie to enter F1 in 2022 and is hoping to pick up his first F1 points in the upcoming season.

He said: "In my first year, I first wanted to really fit into F1 and then get my first points. ”