Alfa Romeo F1 team officially announced on the 27th that it had completed a renewal of its contract with Zhou Guanyu . In the 2023 season, Zhou Guanyu will continue to represent the team, and Chinese drivers will continue to appear in the paddock.
"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to compete in the new season as a part of the team. I am very grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 team. The team gave me great support and welcome and helped me adapt to the most complex event in the racing sport of F1 as soon as possible. From fulfilling my dream to proving myself in the F1 field, I'm grateful for your company along the way. The road ahead is still long. I will redouble my efforts and keep breaking through myself." After the official announcement of the contract renewal news, Zhou Guanyu couldn't hide his pride and excitement.
Review of Zhou Guanyu's performance this season, Alfa Romeo team leader Frederick Vassel is generous in praise.
"From the first day of the team's test in Abu Dhabi last year, his work attitude has impressed me. He is a positive person. We all know that he is very fast and he adapted to F1 in a short time, which is one of our biggest surprises this season. He is always modest, asking questions and learning from engineers and Bottas, and learning what he has learned to help him in the race. I believe that as the team continues to develop, he will go further."
"Competitive sports must speak with results"
As the only rookie driver of the season, Zhou Guanyu started stunning enough and entered the top ten in the first race and got his first F1 points in his career. When he moved to Canada, he finally ranked eighth, gained 4 points, creating the best record in his F1 career. When he arrived at the Italian station, he entered the points zone again and delivered a satisfactory answer.
For a novice, it is not easy to finish the competition successfully in the fiercely competitive F1 arena, let alone enter the top ten and get points.
Former world champion Alonso started his F1 career in 2001, but he didn't score a single point in the first year; Mick Schumacher , who defeated Zhou Guanyu many times in the F2 competition and moved to F1 a year earlier, did not get his first point in his career until this year's British Grand Prix.
Zhou Guanyu has aroused a lot of doubts after signing the Alfa Romeo team last year. After the new season begins, the 23-year-old left his doubts behind with his excellent driving performance, proving that he deserves it.
"Competitive sports need to speak with results. What I can do is to take out my best condition. Fortunately, there is a very outstanding team by my side, and we can do better." After the
16 competition, Zhou Guanyu drove steadily and ran more and more confidently. He could firmly hold his starting position and seize every opportunity to overtake, whether it was his childhood idol Alonso or the "Seven Crown King" Hamilton .
The competition for pole position before the main competition is also fierce, and a lap of one thousandth of a second may lead to a huge difference in rankings. Today, Zhou Guanyu has become a regular visitor in Q2, and has even advanced to Q3 many times, showing strong impact.
"Difficult makes me stronger"
To this day, Zhou Guanyu still clearly remembers the huge impact he felt when he went to the F1 stadium to watch the game when he was five years old. Before he could go to elementary school, he was fascinated by this kind of "driven fast". When F1 racing whizzed past him, Zhou Guanyu found his interest and kept struggling for it.
Zhou Guanyu is very talented in racing. He started to come into contact with kart at the age of 7. He soon swept his opponents in the domestic arena and won the championship of eight sub-stations of the National Championships at the age of 10. At the age of 11, he went to the UK to pursue his racing dream, went to school and trained, and ran around Europe to participate in competitions of all sizes.
From kart to F4, F3, F2, and now F1, Zhou Guanyu devoted all his energy and love to motorsports and moved at full speed towards his goal.
Even though he is taking a correct and standardized promotion path, Zhou Guanyu has experienced many downturns, and there is a lot of effort behind the halo of F1 professional drivers.
"Riders must do their homework off the court, including constantly challenging their physical limits, communicating with engineers, improving their shortcomings, etc., and they must concentrate in the competition, withstand pressure and not make mistakes." Zhou Guanyu said.
Zhou Guanyu suffered a serious accident on the UK site.
Motorsports are exciting and dangerous. At the Silverstone track in the UK, Zhou Guanyu was involved in a serious accident during the starting stage. The car was overturned and slipped out of the track, and sparks flew instantly.
Titanium Alloy Protection System (HALO) and his unshakable personality have saved Zhou Guanyu from the trouble; the calm handling of sudden accidents is due to hard training day after day, which reflects the quality of an excellent racer.
"Difficult makes me stronger. After so many years of training, I have a strong enough heart to deal with any challenges." Zhou Guanyu said.
"Hope the five-star red flag will fly on the podium in the future"
F1 is the most competitive racing event in the world today. There are only 20 driver seats in the ten teams, and only one or two rookies can be lucky enough to gallop on the F1 track in each season.
Since the roar of F1 racing engines sounded in 2004 by Shanghai International Racing, the entire Chinese racing industry has been looking forward to the emergence of "China's No. 1 F1 Person". Cheng Congfu , Ma Qinghua and other Chinese drivers have tried their best to hit the F1 career dream, but none of them have come true.
On November 16, 2021, Alfa Romeo team officially announced that Zhou Guanyu joined the team in the 2022 season. This is not only his personal dream come true, but also an important opportunity for Chinese motorsports.
As the only Chinese driver in the paddock, Zhou Guanyu's outstanding performance on the track will undoubtedly increase the attention and popularity of F1 and even the entire motorsport in China.
F1 has about 20 Grand Prix stops each season, and every driver hopes to participate in the competition in his hometown. Zhou Guanyu has seen Hamilton laughing at the Silverstone track in the UK, and has also seen Verstappen fighting in Dutch , and the whole audience is his orange.
Careful netizens can find that Zhou Guanyu's helmet is printed with blue and white porcelain patterns and bright five-star red flags. He also turned the word "Guanyu" on his helmet upside down in order to allow car fans around the world to better recognize that he is a driver from China in the broadcast screen.
The success of an F1 team is inseparable from the tacit cooperation of the two main drivers and the strong support of the team. The schedule of this season has passed two-thirds, and Zhou Guanyu has a deeper understanding of the racing event.
"F1 cannot be separated from team collaboration. Engineers need to adjust the racing car together, mechanics need to repair and inspect to eliminate hidden dangers. But when the driver comes on the court, no one else can dominate the competition on his behalf. This is also the charm of racing, and both the driver and the team need to be more perfect."
For 23-year-old Zhou Guanyu, renewal is just the beginning of a new journey. Looking forward to a longer-term goal, he was full of confidence: "I will keep refreshing my best results, and I hope the five-star red flag will fly on the podium in the future."
(People's Daily Client)
