Triple crown winner Verstappen set to "dominate F1"? Next season Zhou Guanyu is worth looking forward to
In the early morning of October 8, the Saturday sprint of the F1 Qatar Grand Prix ended successfully at the Russell circuit. Red Bull driver Verstappen scored the second line with seven points and brought his total to 407 points, becoming the "Triple Crown" of this season's Drivers' World Champion and the youngest ever to win the Triple Crown. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu made a mistake and finished last, and was eliminated in Q1. However, at the Chinese Grand Prix next April, Zhou Guanyu will play at home in Shanghai, where F1 fans will witness the historical moment of Chinese racing.
Verstappen crowned 2023 F1 World Champion according to IC photo
Verstappen, the triple crown winner, doesn't stop there
Verstappen's start was not outstanding in this game, and the position after the opening fell all the way to fifth. However, after the yellow flags of Lawson and Sargent, Verstappen passed Leclerc to 3rd on the tenth lap, and with the subsequent withdrawal of Perez, Verstappen finally defended his title.
Verstappen became the second driver to win the Driver's Championship on Saturday, after Juan Fangio, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Keck Rosberg and Nelson Piquet. Unlike them, Verstappen is the first person in F1 history to win the Driver's Championship of the Year in a sprint race.
Verstappen crowned 2023 F1 World Champion according to IC photo
Verstappen has set many records so far this season. While finishing on the podium in 15 consecutive races across the season, Verstappen surpassed Vettel in the 2013 season to set a new record for the longest winning streak in F1 with ten consecutive victories in a race.
In fact, the Dutch driver, who has been on the start at 17 years and 166 days, is still only 26 years old, and for Verstappen he doesn't want to stop at that record. Next, with 28 laps ahead of the main race, Verstappen could surpass Wattle's single-season lead record of 739 laps; And further afield, there is no doubt to achieve the "eight crowns" that even Schumacher and Hamilton have not been able to achieve so far.
The 2024 season is worth looking forward to, with Zhou Guanyu taking on home matches
In this race, probably because of the first time to run the Lussell International Circuit, Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu made a mistake, ranked last, and was eliminated in Q1.
In September this year, Zhou Guanyu and Alfa Romeo completed the renewal of their contract, and the two sides jointly compete in the 2024 season. This will be the third year in a row that he has gone hand in hand with the team. "I've been in F1 for more than a year, I've been trying to challenge myself and try something new." This dedication makes Zhou Guanyu full of confidence in this contract extension.
In the late autumn of 2021, the Chinese sports community was excited by an announcement from the Alfa Romeo team: Zhou Guanyu, as China's first F1 driver, will participate in the official F1 competition of the 2022 season. This is more than 70 years after the establishment of the Formula 1 World Championship, and the main race field finally welcomes the first Chinese face. In March of the following year, the 2022 F1 Grand Prix season kicked off in Bahrain. In the first F1 main race of his career, Zhou Guanyu finished 10th and fought for one point. Back in the garage, he cried with joy. "China Week", which is difficult to express in words, wrote the sentence on social platforms, "I did it".
Zhou Guanyu According to IC photo
Among the Grand Prix races he has already participated, Zhou Guanyu's best result was finishing eighth in Canada last year; In qualifying for Hungary this season, he finished fifth, the highest start to date.
Zhou Guanyu said in an interview earlier, "After fulfilling my dream of entering F1, I have always had a small wish in my heart, that is, to play at home, at the Chinese Grand Prix, in Shanghai. "With the extension of his contract with the team until next year, Zhou's dream of playing at home is about to come true. According to the F1 official 2024 season calendar, the Chinese Grand Prix will officially return to the Shanghai International Circuit from April 19 to 21 next year. It is worth mentioning that next year will be the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Grand Prix since it was first held in 2004, when Zhou Guanyu will greet many Chinese fans at his home stadium with great cheers, "I look forward to friends who love F1 to witness the historical moment that belongs to me and to Chinese racing." ”
Red Star News reporter Pei Han Zhou Yao
Edited by Ou Peng