Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu on the doubts, stress and mechanical failures that paved his rocky road to Formula One
- China’s first full-time driver admits there were times of doubt and struggle before his historic signing by Alfa Romeo
- ‘There were tough times but I never thought about giving up. It’s good that I have had tough times. I am now stronger because of that,’ says Zhou
Zhou Guanyu has been fast-tracked to history as China’s first full-time Formula One driver, but the headlines that followed his rise hide the hard times he has faced along the way.
Zhou points to his second season in Formula 2 in 2020 as an example, and how car troubles led to doubts, and to growing stress given that the sport is all about results, as well as showing you can face down adversity and find a way to conquer it.
A contract with Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen – signed this past November – and a chance to join the Formula 1 circuit alongside the likes of Lewis Hamilton, arguably the greatest driver the sport has ever known, and reigning champion Max Verstappen, show how Zhou managed to turn some poor results around, what with four victories on the way to third place overall in his third season of F2.
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Guanyu Zhou becomes first Chinese F1 driver after signing with Alfa Romeo
But there’s no escaping – or forgetting – those moments of worry.
“I have had struggles,” the 22-year-old said. “I have even had some doubts a little bit about myself. It has been tough sometimes on the mental side of things but I think that all made me stronger for last year. I learned how to keep myself motivated, and I learned that you can always figure out a way around problems. I learned that no matter what you have to find a way to find the momentum to keep going forward.”
After signing on with UNI-Virtuosi as an F2 rookie in 2019, Zhou started his second season flying, taking pole for the opening round at the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, and looking to build on the noise that had been generated after he finished as the leading rookie in his debut season.
Zhou had come in wanting to make a noise and knowing the eyes of the motorsport world, including those of the F1 power brokers, would be on every move he made. And he led for much of the race before being cruelly denied by mechanical problems – a recurring theme across the season. While Zhou claimed his first F2 victory at Sochi, he eventually finished the season sixth overall, and disappointed.