Zhou Guanyu can be a Formula One star ‘for sure’ says Alfa Romeo boss, as Chinese driver takes the Singapore spotlight

Team principal Frederic Vasseur insists everything is going in the right direction for the ‘very nice, very popular’ 23-year-old

Zhou races in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday night after being the centre of attention all week

Reading Time:3 minutes

Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou signs autographs for fans ahead of practice at Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:29pm, 2 Oct 2022Updated: 10:28pm, 2 Oct 2022

After taking the spotlight in Singapore, Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo boss believes that the Chinese rookie can become a household name in Formula One.

The 23-year-old was the centre of attention at promotional events and on track at Marina Bay Circuit, but his weekend ultimately ended in disappointment when he crashed out of the race.

“Yeah for sure,” Frederic Vasseur told the Post, when asked if Zhou could become a star of the sport, however. “He’s a very nice guy, very popular. I think that he has a good relationship with everybody.

“The results are coming and everything is going in the right direction. We always need to have a better result in sport but I am pleased with the current situation.”

Nothing has spelled out Zhou’s star power more this season than his reception in Singapore, where he has been taken to heart by locals.

Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou of Alfa Romeo in action during the second practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Photo: EPA-EFE

“Even for me when I was signing autographs, I don’t understand Chinese but I understand even sometimes they are speaking about Zhou. I can imagine I am not Frederic Vasseur, I am the boss of Zhou,” he said.