"My youth was a little lonely. For me, along the way, I am often the only Chinese face in the whole paddock, and my experience and dedication are also incomprehensible to many passers-by. ”
This article was first published in Southern People Weekly
Text / Southern People Weekly reporter Xu Mei sent from Beijing
At 3:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 9, 2022, the F1 Miami Grand Prix will start. This is also the fifth race of the 2022 season, and Zhou Guanyu rushed to the top ten and ranked eighth in the second practice match, setting his own F1 practice event personal best. But good luck failed to extend to qualifying, which determined the order of departure, and he stopped at Q1 and will start at 17th place.
Zhou Guanyu, the only rookie driver of the season, performed well in the first four races, and Bahrain won points on his debut. This result far exceeded the expectations of insiders, including Zhou Guanyu himself, who expected to be possible to earn points until at least August.
On November 16, 2021 Beijing time, F1 Alfa Romeo Team officially announced that Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu will participate in the 2022 F1 Grand Prix with the team as a regular race driver. This also means that Zhou Guanyu has become the "first person in China's F1".
Ever since the Shanghai International Circuit raised the roar of the huge engine of F1 racing cars in 2004, the entire Chinese racing industry has been looking forward to the emergence of "China's F1 first man". Previously, Cheng Congfu, Ma Qinghua and many other Chinese drivers tried their best to impact their F1 career dreams, but they did not achieve their wishes.
Although there are 40,000 jobs in F1 as the world's top professional race, there are only 20 drivers in ten teams, and only one or two young talents in the industry are lucky enough to enter the F1 paddock every season. Zhou Guanyu began to learn to go kart at the age of 7, and went to the UK to learn racing at the age of 12, each step towards the goal of becoming an F1 driver, even if it is the most standardized and correct road to qualify, he will have a dream that seems to be in front of him, but it feels very far away.
After Zhou Guanyu became China's first official F1 driver, writer and driver Han Han was very excited, and he said in an interview with Five Star Sports, "Those who understand racing and don't understand racing, I have shared it with them. I think it's of great significance, I think it's like Liu Xiang for athletics, Yao Ming for basketball. ”
Just as Liu Xiang came out at the Athens Olympic Games, many people do not know that he has won many awards before, and even ran straight to the podium in training before the expedition, and people know less about Zhou Guanyu, who has been playing overseas for many years. In the 2021 F2 season, Zhou Guanyu won 4 championships and 9 podiums, and finally won the third place in the driver of the year. Previously, in the 2020 season of F2 Sochi, Russia, he started from pole position, led the way, and finally won, letting the five-star red flag fly in F2 for the first time.
▲Photo/Courtesy of the interviewee
After the news of the signing broke, Zhou Guanyu received unprecedented attention, but more discussion focused on how much it costs to train a racing driver and whether he was favored because he benefited from the huge Chinese market. In the four or five months between signing the contract and the first game, Zhou Guanyu accumulated a lot of pressure and frustration in his heart.
On the evening of May 4, Zhou Guanyu was interviewed by Southern People Weekly during the preparation break at the Miami station, saying that "as long as the family background is good, you can become an F1 driver", which is the biggest misunderstanding he has heard about racing drivers, "which actually ignores everything that F1 drivers silently pay behind their professional dreams." ”
After making his debut at Bahrain in March and getting points, Zhou Guanyu threw up a block in his chest, "This is the most direct way to prove yourself!" What makes him happy is that more and more people are paying attention to F1 competitions because of him, and he is also starting to enjoy his rookie season, "My F1 freshman F1 career has only just started a few months, and I am still in the joy of making my dreams come true, and I am enjoying everything in these months. ”
▲ On March 20, in the first bahraini grand prix of the 2022 Formula One Championship (F1) held in Manama, Bahrain, Alfa Romeo Team's Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu finally won the tenth place Photo/ Alfa Romeo Team
"I am an F1 freshman who is enjoying a dream come true"
Southern People Weekly: You once said that "people always have dreams, in case they come true", and you also said that you are just a "first-year freshman" in F1. As a new student who has realized his dreams, there is still a long career path behind, standing at such a node as now, do you have a longer-term goal and plan for your career, and what kind of influence do you hope to achieve in your entire career?
Zhou Guanyu: My own plan has always been to become an F1 driver, and when I became an official driver of F1, I hope that I will grow every season, continue to improve, and constantly break through my personal bests.
The longer-term plan, I don't have it myself right now. Going into F1 was still a distant plan or goal for me last year, and it's really hard to achieve that dream, and sometimes you feel like it's close to you, but it's very far away.
I'm not thinking too much about it now, as a "first-year freshman", a rookie, this season I just don't make too many mistakes and seriously lay the foundation for the future. In this way, my future path will naturally be longer and longer.
Southern People Weekly: You feel very calm and calm, speak slowly and methodically, and look very quiet. Maybe we also have a misunderstanding of racing athletes, always feel that such a hot project is not everyone more aggressive?
Zhou Guanyu: (Laughs) Yes, I usually talk like this. I actually feel that I am more mature than my peers. Including when I was very young to drive a go-kart before, many seniors or reporters interviewed me mentioned that I was relatively my peers, and I seemed to be a little more mature than them.
The personality is innate, and it has something to do with the later career of racing cars. My driving is characterized by smoothness and less mistakes, because I always try to make sure that I am foolproof and do every step of my current step, and this professional thinking training may also have something to do with character development.
Racing drivers actually have two personalities, one is more mature and stable like me, and the other is more outgoing, because we always have to compete, and they also do not hide their competitiveness off the field. Both of these personalities can be good drivers, as long as they can release the advantages of the personality and reduce the shortcomings.
▲Photo/Courtesy of the interviewee
Southern People Weekly: What's the biggest misconception you've ever heard about racing drivers?
Zhou Guanyu: "As long as the family background is good, you can become an F1 driver!" "It's a big misunderstanding of racing drivers, and the first reaction of friends who don't know much about racing may be that the sport is very expensive and will think so. In fact, with only money, you can become a racing enthusiast at most, not a real top professional driver.
There is a lot of dedication behind the F1 professional drivers: constantly pushing the limits of their bodies in the gym; these homework done on the field and off the field; adjusting the mental state, not making mistakes under high pressure during the game; and achieving the integration of psychology and technology through long-term training.
It was a very difficult path to growth. I myself have great respect for every F1 driver, and behind this group of top professional drivers, a lot of efforts are not seen by ordinary people.
Southern People Weekly: Before the Miami race, Hamilton participated in a television interview and said that as the only black player in the paddock, he had always felt very lonely. He was born in England, knighted, and so lonely in a system where English language and culture were the official language. So how lonely are you?
Zhou Guanyu: I understand his situation and feelings very well. I myself went to England at the age of 12, step by step in this system, beat foreign players, and let the five-star red flag and the national anthem appear and sound on the racing track, which is both proud and lonely. (Note: Zhou Guanyu always habitually looks back after taking the podium to check whether the national flag pattern is correct, and when he won the championship for the first time in F2 in 2020, the organizers mistakenly placed a five-star red flag with the wrong arrangement.) ）
At the top of every sport and every career, the strongest are definitely the loneliest, you become the target of everyone, the drivers who are a little bit lower than you want to beat you, and there is definitely more to bear in all aspects.
However, compared to his loneliness in the heights, my F1 freshman F1 career has only just begun for a few months, and I am still in the joy of making my dreams come true, and I have enjoyed everything in these months.
▲ On March 20, in the bahrain grand prix of the first leg of the 2022 Formula One Championship (F1) held in Manama, Bahrain, Zhou Guanyu communicated with the team staff Photo / Alfa Romeo Team
"Half a second on the track is a big gap"
Southern People Weekly: You're probably in one of the world's most voluminous occupations, with speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour into corners, and a millisecond overtaking lead between life and death, how to deal with this professional high pressure? Some people say that drivers are most nervous when they wait for the five lights to go out before starting to start, is that right?
Zhou Guanyu: Before the five red lights go out, it is indeed the moment when the driver is most engrossed, and that is also the moment when you need to make all the preparations. All the departures are done by their own two-foot pedals or clutches in their hands, and there are too many unknowns and too many accidents after departure, and you can't imagine what kind of situation and state will occur, so the driver is very stressed at that moment.
For myself, or for every driver, after so many years of starting, there's actually a good routine mindset that allows you to focus more on some of the steps you need to take.
In addition to starting, the pressure of qualifying is also very large. Because you only have one lap in qualifying to do the best effective lap, the tires work best on that lap and you need to use that lap to the limit at every bend. The competition in the car is very fierce, and sometimes it can be the lap time of a thousandth of a second that leads to a huge difference in qualifying.
Southern People Weekly: Actually, I'm also curious about your view of time? Is the speed of time different from ordinary people for you?
Zhou Guanyu: It is the same in life, but it is not the same on the track. Because of the different performance of the vehicles in F1, the one-second gap may still have the opportunity to make up for the catch-up, but like F2 races, the racing engine is the same, and the difference of one second may be the difference between the 1st and 15th places, or even the 20th to the 20th to the last place. For us, if we are half a second apart on the field, it is a big gap.
Southern People Weekly: Working under the pressure of this second count for a long time, how can you relax your nerves in life?
Zhou Guanyu: It is definitely a competitive state on the track, and there are race weekends, and it is definitely all devoted to the current work. How to drive the fastest car? How do you make yourself foolproof? Both focus on these two focuses. During the break, I put myself in a state where I don't want to have anything to do with racing at all. F1 has 23 races a year, and if you can't take a break and relax yourself, you will be mentally and mentally tired.
Southern People Weekly: Hamilton opted for extreme sports bungee jumping to completely relax and feel free. What are your hobbies?
Zhou Guanyu: I don't dare to engage in extreme sports, I am afraid of heights, haha. I like to sing, I can't go to KTV with my friends like I did in China, I just face the computer at home, take a microphone, I like rap, I like that kind of real talk. I also love fashion and design, and when I do that, I can get into another state of concentration, not wanting to race and relaxing myself.
"I like speed, I like team"
Southern People Weekly: To be able to go to F1 is certainly an essential economic foundation, but I am more concerned about the conditions in your home so good, why do you still have such a strong self-drive? On such a difficult road all the way up? Are there a few nodes that you yourself have difficulty holding on to and have thought about giving up?
Zhou Guanyu: In fact, my racing road is not so smooth, there are highlights, there are some low moments. I was injured on my first karting race and was taken to the hospital.
I was able to stick to it because I really loved the sport, otherwise it would be impossible to go all the way down. Because I had to keep competing, I didn't have the concept of weekends when I was a child, going to school from Monday to Thursday, taking time off from friday to go to competitions, rushing home after Sunday than finishing, preparing for School on Monday, which was much harder than my peers.
After going to Europe to learn racing, this is even more so, I took the most formal path, from F4, to F3, F2, so step by step, with the results of the top three in F2, I can get the opportunity to enter F1. It's been hard work, but I've always believed that my F1 dreams are achievable, and I like to break through and do things that no one else has done – like being the first F1 Chinese. What supports you is a belief, firmly believing that as long as you pay, that day will come sooner or later!
Southern People Weekly: So maybe only hobbies and careers are really integrated to stick with it.
Zhou Guanyu: Yes, the sport of motorsport is very cruel, no matter how many conditions you have in all aspects, you eventually need to get results, because this is a sporting competition.
You need to win the top three of the year in the low-, medium-level, and high-level Formula competitions to have a chance and enough ability to upgrade to the next event. Many young drivers do not run well at this level, and they want to skip the level directly to a higher level, in fact, this is not right, you need to lay every foundation.
To enter F1, you must have a "super driver's license", "super driver's license" is not taken, you need to have good results in both intermediate and advanced equations within three years to get this driver's license. After the super driver's license reform, in recent years, they have all been very strong drivers, and those who have achieved impressive results in the level below F1 can have a super driver's license.
▲Photo/Courtesy of the interviewee
Southern People Weekly: What makes you feel happy about the racing driver profession so far?
Zhou Guanyu: It is difficult to say that it is a certain point. First of all I love speed! I also like the life that racing brings me, including all kinds of efforts before or off the field, and a team of so many people on the field to help you, and working with you for a result or to improve one or two places, which I really like.
I also particularly enjoyed achieving good results in the competition, being able to stand on the podium and even win the championship. No matter which team you represent, you represent your country on the highest podium, when the flag of the driver's country will appear on the big screen behind you, playing the national anthem of the champion driver. When our national anthem sounded in the paddock, it was a thing that made me very happy and proud of myself.
Southern People Weekly: "More control, more safety", I like what you said in the Video of The Alpha Romeo Team, everyone thinks that drivers are natural adventurers, but in fact motorsport is more and more advocate of safety, you have also shared everything from fireproof head covers to racing suits, and the protection behind helmets. In terms of safety, what other lessons do you have to learn and tips to keep yourself safe? Which senior of the drivers gave you some good advice?
Zhou Guanyu: In recent years, our drivers' racing suits and helmets have been upgraded every two or three years, and the FIA (International Automobile Federation) has done a very good job in terms of safety.
Some situations on the field are inevitable, in case the car goes wrong, you may crash into the wall, and how to avoid some unnecessary collisions in the case of the bucket car, more is the experience of the race accumulated by yourself. Seniors or more experienced people can give you some sharing and reminders, but you still need to understand it yourself. Mature drivers are very fierce when fighting cars on the field, but there will not be a lot of collisions, because they know how to give each other a little space, let themselves have some space, and the mutual respect of the drivers on the field is also here.
Southern People Weekly: Alfa Romeo coach Fried Vassell praised you as a team driver, admired your communication and collaboration in the team, and said that your way of doing things will make you go further. You also mentioned the team, team spirit is also a particularly important professionalism for F1 drivers, right?
Zhou Guanyu: This project cannot be completed if only you are yourself. You need engineers to tune the car with you to make your car better; if there's something wrong with the car, you need a mechanic to fix it or check it out every day to get rid of all the hidden dangers. But when you're on the field, then you're just yourself, and no one else can directly dominate the race for you, and that's one of the things I particularly like about motorsport. It is very rich and needs to be more perfect for itself and the team.
When the team is no longer willing to pay for you, then your contradictions will become bigger and bigger. Fortunately, I haven't experienced this so far, I am glad that I am a member of the team, and I hope that everyone is happy to help me.
▲ On March 25, the 2022 Formula One Championship (F1) Saudi Grand Prix Practice Event was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Zhou Guanyu and the team before the race Photo/Alfa Romeo Team
"Q2 is my current location"
Southern People Weekly: After a few races this season, what position do you feel you are in among the 20 drivers?
Zhou Guanyu: As a rookie, I think I am still doing very well. There are some small mistakes in some places, which are also inevitable in the rookie season, and every stop will improve.
It's hard for me to evaluate my position among the 20 drivers because it's not just a competition for individual abilities, the cars in Formula 1 are not uniformly configured, and the performance of the cars is different. In terms of play, I feel like I'm probably around my current qualifying position, my own real speed is in the second quarter, and then I have the opportunity to compete for Q3's speed, which requires more experience in F1 (F1 qualifying is played in three stages, Q1 will eliminate 5 cars, Q2 will eliminate 5 cars, and finally Q3 will have only 10 cars left to determine the final starting order).
Southern People Weekly: Scoring in your first F1 game, is it particularly liberating? Did you think of it at the time?
Zhou Guanyu: Right. Something that felt like I had been holding back in my heart for so long could finally be released. After I signed for F1, there were all kinds of voices, many passers-by or never paid attention to racing, and felt that a Chinese joined F1, it must be because of other factors. These people probably don't know anything about racing, haven't seen my previous races, and don't know my results.
I definitely want to respond to all kinds of voices with my performance, but I also know that it is not easy to get points in F1, and I think I may need to accumulate some experience in the game first, and then in the second half of the season, get points. I didn't expect to be able to score points in my first game of the season – my debut in Bahrain – and I was really excited, I was so excited that I cried out for the first time in wireless communications.
Getting points or getting points for the first time is very important for every driver, I don't like to argue with everyone, I prefer to use the results to respond to doubts. At that moment, I felt that the pressure of my four or five months, whether it was suffocation or resignation, was released. This achievement has given me a better mentality, and it has also made many friends and passers-by who did not care about racing become people who support me, which is very good. Now I feel that it is also good to have doubts, which means that you have enough influence for everyone to pay attention to you.
Southern People Weekly: You're a big fan of Kobe, and the number 24 on his helmet is also his jersey number. Have you relaxed and watched an NBA playoff game this time in Miami?
Zhou Guanyu: Yes, I also specially designed a new helmet with basketball elements for the Miami game. It's just that this trip allowed me to miss every NBA game perfectly, which is a bit of a pity. Next time you come here, you must look for an opportunity to see.
▲ On March 27, in the main race of the 2022 Formula One (F1) Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Alfa Romeo Team's Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu won the 11th place Photo/Alfa Romeo Team
Southern People Weekly: I read an interview you did when you were 18 years old, talking about the perennial overseas training competitions, you especially want to maintain a normal 18-year-old young man's life and thinking, why did you have this awareness at that time?
Zhou Guanyu: I have always been a very focused and stable person on the track who may be more mature than my peers, but I am also a normal young person off the track. When I was young, like all children, I liked to have a lot of friends to play with. But over the years, I may have been more of a person abroad to prepare for the game, to compete, and missed a lot of things. Every time I have time to go back home, I am very happy to meet my friends, play games together or something, but there are not many opportunities like this.
I wish I could have what ordinary young people have, whether it's the impulses of my youth or the curiosity about all aspects when I was young, these are all things that I think are indispensable. After all, whoever is young is only once.
Southern People Weekly: You want to have a normal world and a complete life, but you have to be extremely disciplined at that stage, and some things have to be sacrificed and abandoned.
Zhou Guanyu: Yes. So my youth was a little lonely. For me, along the way, I am often the only Chinese face in the whole paddock, and my experience and dedication are also incomprehensible to many passers-by.
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