Formula 1: Zhou Guanyu out to make more happy memories in Monaco, while Leclerc looks to finish race for first time

This time last year, the Chinese driver had just won the first sprint race at the Formula 2 Championship event in the Mediterranean tax haven.

But several drivers call the principality home, including Zhou’s Alfa Romeo teammate Valtteri Bottas, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and title rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, meaning track knowledge will only go so far.

Verstappen, who like the others has an intimate understanding of a circuit regarded as the most iconic on the calendar, won for the first time there last year and said the “old-school” track was so narrow, drivers had to be “constantly on edge”.

“Monaco is always a hectic weekend, but special. The track is old-school, narrow and it makes your heart-rate go so high it’s insane,” the Red Bull driver said.

“We have to be constantly on the edge. It’s a pretty crazy place with Formula One cars! I finally won there last year – and it was a massive relief to cross the line.”

Zhou echoed those sentiments, and said the street circuit was a place where drivers “needed to respect the track”.

“This is a place where you need to be at the absolute limit at all times to be competitive, even in the junior series, and it will be even more so in F1,” he said.