The Paper's reporter Qi Dong
For 22-year-old Zhou Guanyu, his F1 dream has taken another solid step.
On the 28th, the Alpine F1 Team announced that Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu will participate in the F1 practice race for the first time in the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
Young Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou Guanyu joined Alpine Academy (formerly Renault Sports Academy) in 2019 and is currently a test driver for Alpine F1 Team.
The first free practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix will be his F1 debut, and he will complete a one-hour practice session driving the legendary Alonso car.
After three consecutive years of competing in the FIA F3 European Championship, Zhou Guanyu joined the team's drivers' academy in early 2019. In the 2019 F2 Championship, he made five podium finishes and won Best Rookie.
In the 2020 season f2, Zhou Guanyu won his first victory in the Sprint Sochi Station and finished sixth in the final standings. This season, at the age of 22, he leads the table in f2 and wins in Bahrain and Monaco.
At present, Zhou Guanyu is the one closest to the F1 race among Chinese drivers - judging from the current points, Zhou Guanyu can already get a super driver's license this season, and only by getting a super driver's license can he qualify for f1 races.
In an interview with the surging news reporter earlier, Zhou Guanyu did not hide his yearning for f1, "(Entering f1) This is my dream all along, and this year I will be closer to this dream." ”
At the age of 8, he was exposed to karting, at the age of 10 he won all eight races of the National Championship, at the age of 11 he went to england to study and train, at the age of 14 he was selected by the F1 team, joined the Ferrari Driver Academy, and competed in F4, F3 and F2 competitions in a row... To be able to get to today step by step, Zhou Guanyu has paid too much.
"How many difficulties and hardships have been experienced over the years, it may not be clear to outsiders, especially if you are a Chinese driver, if you want to achieve the same results as foreign drivers in this circle [where Europeans dominate] and win the same opportunities, you have to work harder."
Han Han Weibo.
Han Han has also previously written on Weibo: "Friends who know racing will know how difficult it is, [this is] one of the brightest moments for Chinese drivers." ”
"Participating in an F1 Grand Prix weekend practice was like a dream come true and I was one step closer to my ultimate goal of becoming an F1 driver. It will be a very special time and I will do my best to be prepared and make sure to complete all the goals and plans that the team has set for me. Zhou Guanyu said.
"I was inspired by Alonso to start my racing career when I was young, and it was even more significant for me to be able to drive his car this time. I'm looking forward to the practice session this weekend and will do my best to seize this opportunity." ”
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas