Just yesterday afternoon, the F1 Chinese Grand Prix came to an end at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Red Bull Racing's Vitaspan won the title by a clear margin, with McLaren Racing driver Norris and Red Bull Racing's Sergio Pérez finishing second and third respectively. Sauber's Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu finished the race and finished 14th.
In the interview session of the race, Zhou Guanyu said that he watched the race in the stands 20 years ago, and participated in the race on the track 20 years later, which was a very amazing experience.
It is reported that 2004 was the first time that the F1 Grand Prix entered China, and on September 26 of that year, the race set a record of 150,000 spectators, making it the largest single-day spectator in Chinese history. In 2024, China's first F1 driver will finish in his hometown, which is also the first time in five years that F1 will return to China.
In yesterday's race, Zhou Guanyu was in a poor starting position and had some trouble during the race. Although he finished 14th and did not succeed in scoring points, he also cheered tens of thousands of spectators.
After the race, Zhou Guanyu sighed a lot: "In an unfamiliar environment, I didn't have a guide, and I relied on myself and my team to change from a hobby to a professional driver. ”
In 2021, Zhou Guanyi became China's first official F1 driver. The results are evident: a top-eight finish at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, a top-five finish at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, an Autosport Rookie of the Year award, and a successful season signing with the team in 2024.
Every stage is an unknown territory that the Chinese have never explored, and Zhou Guanyu and his team have done it.
In order to highlight his identity as a Chinese in front of a crowd of foreign faces, Zhou Guanyu also incorporated many Chinese elements into his racing helmet, such as blue and white porcelain patterns, magic capital three-piece sets, Shanghai subway lines, etc., to show his identity as a home player.
As for the ranking is not very ideal, there is no need to be too anxious at present, the F1 race is like a cloud, and the young Zhou Guanyu does not need to be in a hurry to prove himself, and brushing up his experience in a series of top events is his primary goal at present.
Expect him to get a better place in the next race.