"After Saudi Arabia returned, without rest, he went directly to the factory to train in the simulator and prepare for the next stop. I don't want to tell you how hard I work, I want to work silently behind my back. As China's first official F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu won a point in the opening match of his debut bahrain, opening a new page in the history of F1 for China. After a week, he performed steadily in the Saudi Station, finishing 11th. This week, Zhou Guanyu, who returned to the UK from Saudi Arabia, threw himself into preparations for the Australian Grand Prix from April 8-10 without a break.
"Competitive sports speak with results." Zhou Guanyu mentioned this sentence twice in an interview yesterday, and the 22-year-old showed maturity and calm beyond his actual age, "In the past, in the face of doubts, rumors, comments and labels, I did not respond." Now, I'm going to take time to prove that I deserve this F1 seat. ”
It worked well with the team and the starting problem was solved
"I didn't expect that I would be able to prove myself at the first stop." Zhou Guanyu, a driver signed by Jiushi Sports, said, "Entering Q2 (qualifying in the second quarter) in the first qualifying race and getting points in the first regular race was my goal in the middle of the season, and it was very unexpected to achieve this goal in my debut. And I didn't make the mistakes that rookies would make, which was hard, and I did. Of course, there are some details I could have done better. Zhou Guanyu said that he still has speed not fully demonstrated, and there is still potential that has not yet been fully stimulated.
Chinese car fans who have watched Zhou Guanyu's two races may feel both surprise and regret. In his debut bahrain, Zhou Guanyu, who started to fall to the end of the team, overtook all the way and finally scored points with a score of 10th place. In the second Saudi Arabia station, he fell to the end of the team due to starting problems and rose to catch up again, but because the team made a mistake in the operation of a stop penalty, Zhou Guanyu lost the points with an 11th place result.
Zhou Guanyu responded to the problem of the team's mistake at the Saudi station, "Because the team's radio is on an incorrect channel, they don't know the information that I need to stop for 5 seconds to enter the station for penalty time." "According to the regulations, the team could not touch the car during the penalty period of the car pit stop, but the Alfa Romeo team used the jack to lift the car immediately after Zhou Guanyu stopped, which led to his penalty of less than 5 seconds and was sentenced to make up the penalty at the second stop." My coordination with the team was good, it was not a matter of communication. Zhou Guanyu said, "What I can do after the game is to give the staff who made mistakes a little encouragement, so that he will not be too frustrated." ”
In addition, Zhou Guanyu also responded to the question of the start of the two main races, "In fact, from Bahrain station to Saudi Arabia station, there is only a few days in between, and some mechanical problems are difficult to complete in the factory upgrade." After the Saudi station, we communicated with the engineers of Ferrari engines, and when we arrived at the Australian station, I believe that some problems have been improved and solved. Zhou Guanyu admitted that from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, he has actually made progress in the starting car, but he is surrounded by F1 drivers with four or five years or even ten years of driving experience, and in comparison, his starting level is indeed somewhat lacking. For his performance, Zhou Guanyu said that the Saudi departure was "acceptable", but he could not accept his mistake in driving the anti-stall (anti-stall device) in Turn 1, making the car almost stop. 'Now we've made adjustments in that and while it's hard for me to grasp the difference between F1 and F2 in that regard, we've found a very straightforward solution that could help in the next game.'
Very much looking forward to the Melbourne Circuit
According to the F1 calendar, there are still 21 Grand Prix races in the 2022 season. Although he completed the set goal ahead of schedule, Zhou Guanyu said that his goal of the game remained unchanged, that is, "qualifying guarantees to enter Q2 and strive to enter Q3; get points in the main race." "For Zhou Guanyu, a freshman in the paddock, the remaining 21 tracks are challenging." For me, Singapore, Monaco 's [street race] challenge is bigger. However, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah Street Race) made me change my mind about street racing, and I was able to adapt to street racing very quickly, and my previous weaknesses were improved. In addition, Zhou Guanyu will also drive on Mexico, Brazil, the United States and other tracks for the first time, "driving on these tracks for the first time will definitely be a bit strange, it will take some adaptation time, but these are all venue races, there should be no too much pressure." ”
For the next Australian Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu is particularly looking forward to it. "This is also the first time I have driven the Melbourne Circuit that many Chinese fans have said online that they will come to the scene to watch the race, and I am very much looking forward to it, because this is the first time I can really feel the support of Chinese fans after becoming an F1 driver." Zhou Guanyu said, "My preparations have been completed, and I am waiting to go to my destination!"