On November 16, 2021, Zhou Guanyu officially joined the Sauber F1 team and officially started his F1 career. And on September 14 last year, the Sauber F1 team once again announced: "No. 24 will be kept until 2024! Zhou Guanyu, let's go!", which means that with his own strength and hard work, "China Zhou" will continue to compete in the 2024 season of the Formula One World Championship with the team, and his performance is enough to make people look forward to his future.
Talking about returning to his hometown and his home stadium, Zhou Guanyu was very excited, "I believe that the majority of fans, like me, have been waiting for this moment for two years to finally return to the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix. It's great to race in front of a crowd in my hometown, to see all the fans, and it's an honour to be the first Chinese F1 driver to do so. I will always do my best to fight for the best result in the race, and I hope to fight for a higher ranking while the performance of the car remains stable, and I will set a new personal best record and show my best performance to fans all over the world. ”
For this F1 Shanghai station, he said frankly, "I have made full preparations". But in a previous interview, Zhou Guanyu said that going on the track is both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar, because this is where his racing dream began, as he watched Barrichello cross the finish line first in a Ferrari. The stranger is because he has never ridden a circuit with a lap length of more than 5.4 kilometers as a driver.
Image source: Zhou Guanyu's personal Weibo
In order to cope with the competition in a better state, Zhou Guanyu tried out the simulator of the race as early as before the Australian race, "The simulator is very important for us, although it cannot be 100% restored, but it can be 70% or 80%, including the seat of the entire car, the strength and weight of the accelerator pedal are 1:1 reduction." At that time, I grasped every detail to do in-depth understanding, including the history of previous years, which place was the best point to defend and which place was the point of attack. But I know that there is a lot of new asphalt in this year's competition, so in the end I have to go to the site to do more details. ”
24, this number is of great significance to Zhou Guanyu. Going back 20 years, Zhou Guanyu watched the inaugural F1 Chinese Grand Prix, and this experience planted the seeds for his racing dreams. Coincidentally, his seat number was No. 24 in Row 2 of Zone K, and perhaps it was from that moment that "24" witnessed the beginning of his racing career. "In 2004, I competed in the first Chinese Grand Prix, my parents brought me there, and soon I became a huge fan of the sport of F1. I began to dream that one day I could be a part of it, and I started working towards my goal. ”
"As a child, I had to leave China and move to Europe to pursue my dreams, but now, it all paid off because in 20 years, I will be in the world rankings, which is a huge honour for me. Looking back on the past, Zhou Guanyu admitted frankly that this was a difficult and incredible road to the top, and the process was more tortuous than imagined, accompanied by more unexpected surprises and gains.
Image source: Zhou Guanyu's personal Weibo
The fulfillment of a teenager's wish is an introduction, but the path of a true professional racer requires more persistence, tenacity and refusal to admit defeat behind love.
In the previous two seasons, Zhou Guanyu has experienced many trials and difficulties along the way, perhaps we have seen more of his highlight moments, including his brilliant performance from the team's bottom league to the points area, but his every step has been very difficult: he suffered mechanical failures, tire change errors, and even had a serious accident...... Even so, all of this did not affect his mentality, and he saw these experiences as important milestones in his own growth, and he put them all behind him, and used his love and perseverance to learn to live with failure, reconcile with himself, and give his all in the new season.
In addition, Zhou Guanyu has also encountered doubts from the outside world, but he is a natural man of action. He prefers to respond to doubts with practical actions rather than words. "Scoring points on my debut in Bahrain in the first year meant a lot to me because until then, I had a stone in my heart that I hadn't let go of, and I was worried about what people thought of me, or some people felt that I might not be able to get a foothold in F1 as a Chinese driver, so I felt that getting points on that debut was proof of that, and after that I was more open about my overall form. ”
Zhou Guanyu once said: "If I become an F1 driver, I will push myself to the limit. "The essence of F1 is to defend to the limit and attack to the limit. Trying to approach the "limit", Zhou Guanyu constantly set new goals for himself. This year, the new season has officially begun, and his goal is to do everything in his power to keep scoring points for the team. "Although we have had some setbacks in the new season, I believe that the whole solution is already progressing. Last season, we didn't score a lot of points, so one of the definite goals for this year is to finish in the top 10 and get back to where we belong. ”
This year will be Zhou's third season with teammate Bottas, who is both a mentor and a friend. "Bottas is great and I've learned a lot from his more than a decade of F1 experience. We had a good relationship, especially in my rookie season, and not only did he answer all the questions I had, but he also gave me a lot of advice on how to improve after every training session. ”
This time, Zhou Guanyu's mission is not only to promote racing culture, but also to make the sport of racing popular, so that more people can understand and participate in racing knowledge. "A lot of people think that the threshold of the racing industry is very high, but it's not just for professional racers, there are also many interesting things to do, such as go-karting, and amateurs can also experience the speed and excitement on the track. In the future, I hope to continue to promote motorsports, help young people to have their own dreams and goals, and inspire them not to be afraid of any challenges and unknowns ahead. ”
On the same day as the start of the race, China's first documentary film "Chinese Driver Zhou Guanyu" will also premiere in the country. The film was filmed in 10 countries on 3 continents: Asia, Europe, and North America, and exclusively records the various competitions and growth process experienced by Zhou Guanyu. As the first Chinese F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu's every breakthrough is refreshing the history of Chinese racing.
The F1 circuit is not only the place where Zhou Guanyu's dream began, but also the place he yearns for the most. In Zhou Guanyu's view, entering F1 is only a stage, and to stay in F1 for a long time still needs to continue to cultivate and grow. Looking to the future, he admits, "I think it's hard to get into Formula 1, so I hope I can stay here for a long time and even aspire to be in Formula 1 before the end of my racing career." ”
StefanoDomenicali
Commenting on this year's event, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of F1, said, "It's great to see Zhou's development as an F1 driver and his first race in front of his hometown fans will be an incredibly proud moment for him. Since he joined Formula 1, he has been doing very well, achieving good results and working well with the experienced Valtteri Bottas. We know the fans will be very excited to see their heroes at home and I'm looking forward to hearing the reaction of the crowd first-hand. ”
In addition to the highlight of Zhou Guanyu's home game, this F1 Chinese Grand Prix will introduce a sprint race for the first time. Due to the short distance and fast pace of the sprint, it is not only more spectacular, but also a better showcase for the driver and the car. This meant that, in addition to the regular free practice, spectators would be able to enjoy intense battles every day of the three-day event.
Formula 1 racing is the world's most expensive, fastest, most high-tech sport, but also the highest commercial value, the most attractive sports event, behind the collision of speed and passion, it is a large-scale competition of technology and talent. "There are only 20 positions on the track, and only the best and best people in the world can succeed. A good driver has to have a lot of physical fitness, quick thinking and steely willpower, but he also needs to have a behind-the-scenes team that can work efficiently with him and provide him with high-tech support. ”
"Judging by the sales of tickets, this year has reached a new high. Domenikali shared. It is reported that since the ticket sales for the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix officially launched on January 9, all tickets have been sold out within a few minutes, and the scene is comparable to a superstar concert.
According to the data, there have been more than 100 million F1 fans in China in the past five years, and it is still growing rapidly. Of these, more than a third are women, while more than half of the fans are under the age of 35. Since launching our Weibo and WeChat channels in 2018, we have recently increased our followers on social media by 3.4 million. I am confident that we will continue to reach new audiences in the future, and there is room for further development. Domenicali's words are full of confidence, "F1 has a lot of stories to tell on and off the track that resonates with people, especially new fans. For them, in addition to the races, F1 is a way of life, so fans can get in touch with us from a 360-degree perspective. ”
Today, F1 is expanding its brand's global reach through a variety of channels, including television, F1.com and social media. Today, F1 has 700 million fans and 1.5 billion viewers worldwide. According to fan research data, 43% of teens under the age of 35 say they plan to focus more on the sport in 2024. "We are always looking for new opportunities to showcase the sport and the stories that surround it. For example, our Netflix series Drive to Survive has opened the door to F1 for a new, younger fan base. In addition, we are working with the production company of the famous American actress Reese Witherspoon to create our behind-the-scenes series related to the all-female driver event F1 Academy. He continued, "Of course, we have to mention our collaboration with Apple Studios to produce a Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which will premiere in 2025 and is worth waiting for." ”
In Domenicali's view, China, with its large population and strong sports fan base in recent years, is experiencing rapid and high-quality economic development, so China is a complex and diverse market for F1, but it is also one of the most important markets. "China offers a great prospect for the development of Formula 1 motorsport, and Formula 1 can also provide a huge platform for sports stars such as Zhou Guanyu and Chinese brands to develop and market overseas. It's a mutually empowering relationship. So, in the future, I think the global sports community needs to think about what we can bring to the audience and how we can interact with them in a more meaningful way. ”
As the highest level of motor sports, F1 is known as the world's three major sports events, along with the Olympic Games and the World Cup. After four years, the F1 race returned to Shanghai, returned to Jiading, and returned to the "Shang" shaped track. On the track, the drivers are indomitable, it is a contest of courage and determination, with a fearless courage and a heart that dares to be extraordinary, they will defend their journey with enthusiasm and perseverance. The natural place under the blue sky and white clouds is the driver's arena, in the curves, undulating tracks, the drivers or tilt the corner, or accelerate, you chase me, staged a contest of speed and passion, at this moment let us look forward to the roar of the engine resounding at the Shanghai International Circuit.