After qualifying, Zhou Guanyu wrote on Weibo: "Unforgettable day, continue to rush!" His summary of his first F1 qualifying match was: both exciting and nervous...
Text | Ah Hui
This weekend, thousands of Chinese racing fans have been waiting for years for the debut of the official Chinese F1 drivers' race, which was achieved in the 2022 F1 opening competition Bahrain Grand Prix!
In the qualifying round of the Bahrain Grand Prix held last night beijing time, Zhou Guanyu, China's first F1 regular driver who made his debut, successfully advanced to Q2 and finally ranked 15th with a time of 1:33.543.
After qualifying, Zhou Guanyu wrote on Weibo: "Unforgettable day, continue to rush!" His summary of his first F1 qualifying race was: both exciting and nervous, it's more challenging to master an F1 car! I am very happy to be in Q2 and more confident in the long distance of the main race.
Zhou Guanyu's Alfa Romeo F1 team also praised his performance on the official Weibo: "Well done!!!!!"
Video source: Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN official Weibo
At 23:00 Beijing time today, Zhou Guanyu will drive the red and white No. 24 Alfa Romeo car in the starting area of the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain, ushering in the historic moment when five red lights of his F1 career went out for the first time.
Bahrain race time
Cheng Congfu, Li Yingjian, Ma Qinghua... When generations of outstanding Chinese racing drivers have returned home with regret towards the tip of the pyramid of F1 racing, the Chinese sports industry, the racing industry and Chinese racing fans have been constantly asking: When will China's first official F1 driver arrive?
Last November, after Alfa Romeo ORLEN Team officially announced that Jiushi Sports signed driver Zhou Guanyu to partner Bottas for F1 in the 2022 season, this question that has been waiting for many years has finally been answered by Zhou Guanyu, a 22-year-old Shanghai boy.
From the first time he got into a kart at the age of 7, Zhou Guanyu's love for motorsport was overwhelming. At the age of 12, he had already won countless domestic karting championships, and he embarked on the road to Europe without hesitation, going to the core of world motorsport to "study". From karting to starting a formula racing career, F4, F3, F2 and now becoming a regular racing driver in F1, Zhou Guanyu has paid a lot of hardships and sacrifices, all the way to "fight monsters and upgrades", and achieved one breakthrough after another in Chinese racing.
In the recent F1 official promotional video for this season, Zhou Guanyu appeared in the camera for the first time, which is enough to show the high attention of this Chinese driver, and also reflects the F1 official hope to further expand the influence of the race in the Chinese racing market and Chinese racing fans through Zhou Guanyu.
Screenshot of the official promotional video of the F1 World Championships
As the only new driver in F1 this season, Zhou Guanyu's performance in the test can be said to be a steady improvement.
On 14 and 15 December last year, F1 was tested at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Zhou Guanyu participated in all two days of testing, steadily completed a total of 119 laps of test miles, and ran the fifth fastest lap in the overall results list, making his debut after joining Alfa Romeo ORLEN.
On February 24 this year, Zhou Guanyu drove the alfa Romeo ORLEN2022 new car C42 on the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, running 112 laps in two days to complete the F1 new season experience. On March 10, the pre-season test moved to Bahrain, where the new season opener was held, and Zhou Guanyu played for three consecutive days, soaring 184 laps, and set a new single lap fastest time three times in the final day of testing.
Zhou Guanyu in pre-season testing
Throughout the pre-season test, Zhou Guanyu accumulated 1518 km of test mileage for the team, and he gradually adapted to F1, and the run-in with the team and the car was gradually improving. On Friday, in the first practice match in Bahrain, Zhou Guanyu ranked 11th with a time of 1:35.053, and in the second practice match, Zhou Guanyu ranked 15th with a time of 1:33.953. Looking back at the qualifying time of 1 minute 33 seconds 543 seconds, it is not difficult to find that Zhou Guanyu is constantly refreshing and improving his speed step by step, greeting his first F1 main race moment with a full state.
Zhou Guanyu in a practice match at Bahrain
If we say that the test matches and practice matches are military training and exercises, then the main game that starts tonight is a real battle with real guns and bullets. In the main race, unexpected situations such as competition, oppression, overtaking, and collision on the track between drivers will affect the performance of the drivers, and the team's tactics, cooperation with teammates, the stability of the car and luck will also greatly affect the driver's performance.
As an F1 "rookie", how will Zhou Guanyu perform under the pressure of the main competition? People are full of expectations.
"The pressure in the highest areas of motorsport will increase a lot more than before, but along the way I have also gained experience and experience. I hope to make a good debut in Bahrain, get points, show the speed that the car should have, and don't want to give myself too much baggage. Zhou Guanyu showed enough relaxed mentality in an interview with the media.
From a rational point of view, the only "first-year" freshman Zhou Guanyu, compared with the "old bird" goal of the same competition, is definitely still lacking in F1 racing experience, and Alfa Romeo ORLEN team, as a new team that has not been in F1 for a long time, has gained 13 points last season, only higher than the Haas team that did not get points, and it is not easy to change its appearance immediately this year. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect Zhou Guanyu to immediately achieve a "starter" in his F1 debut.
However, for all teams, due to the reform of technical rules, there have been huge changes in many aspects from body design to tire specifications, and F1 in the 2022 season is destined to be full of variables and uncertainties. Since all drivers need to re-adapt to the new car under the new rules, it means that Zhou Guanyu, as a newcomer, will not be particularly prominent.
From this point of view, if Zhou Guanyu can finish the game stably, it will even give himself a good start to this season. Of course, if you have the opportunity to earn points, it is a surprise. According to F1's points rules, the top eight drivers in each station receive unequal points.
Zhou Guanyu is also very confident about his small goal of scoring points this season: "The feedback from the team to the new chassis and the new engine is more positive, and the team has been developing this car from a very early stage, so I am very much looking forward to it." As long as the combination of people and cars can finally be achieved, I think it will definitely be possible to get points, but how long it will take, I can't be sure. ”
Zhou Guanyu fulfilled his F1 racing dream, and in his heart, he has always been full of desire to win glory for the country. In a previous interview, Zhou Guanyu said: "No matter where you come from, it is a very proud thing to represent Chinese to international events and show China's highest level in every field and every sport." ”
For the opening match of bahrain circuit, Zhou Guanyu expressed his expectations: "For many years, I have dreamed of appearing in F1. It will be a weekend I will never forget and will have an important meaning for my home country. I will join my family and all the people who have helped me along the way to enjoy this upcoming moment. ”
The Bahrain Circuit is a blessed spot for Zhou Guanyu, who won the first regular title of his F2 career in Bahrain last year. Hopefully, he will be able to carry on his good form to the next game!
Zhou Guanyu has become a milestone in the history of Chinese racing, and every step he takes, regardless of the outcome, is creating the history of Chinese racing.
Tonight, let us, in the midst of the heart-pounding roar of racing, send our blessings to this Chinese driver, Shanghai Xiaoyuan. Zhou Guanyu, come on!