F1 preseason testing: China’s Zhou Guanyu hails ‘great day’ after making debut for Alfa Romeo in Barcelona
- ‘Lots of learning’ for 22-year-old in debut outing, as he sets 10th-fastest time on day 2 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- Rookie Zhou will become the first Chinese driver in Formula One history this season
Zhou Guanyu hailed his learning experience after making history on day two of Formula One’s preseason testing in Barcelona.
The 22-year-old Shanghai native – who this season will become the first Chinese driver in F1 – got his first experience with his new drive at Alfa Romeo on Thursday.
Rookie Zhou completed 71 laps on his way to 10th in the time sheets at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with a fastest lap of 1:21.531.
“Had a great day behind the wheel. Lots of learnings. Bring on tomorrow,” Zhou wrote in a social media post after making his debut for his new team.
“It was nice to get to drive this new generation of cars,” Zhou later said. “I took my time at the beginning of the session, trying not to push too hard but just getting used to the car.
“All in all, I am happy with my day and with getting a decent number of laps.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was top of the leader board on day 2 with a time of 1:19.689, while AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly recorded the most laps with 150.