“I’m quite happy to be honest, because in qualifying we did struggle a bit with balance on my side,” Shanghai native Zhou said.

“When it mattered in Q1 I was able to put that lap in, but Q2 was very messy because firstly the traffic – everybody was pushing for that track position – and all of us stopped at the last corner which did not help.

“Nevertheless, there is plenty to work on. It’s been quite a challenging week from my side because this track is not an easy one to learn.”

Forecasting a “key” turn one and lap position on race day, Zhou said he will just “have to deal with” his unfamiliarity with the track.

He also outlined a particularly tricky last corner turn five, which he raised in the lengthy driver’s briefing – “why did they put the wall more close to the track? It does not help for safety and makes it easy to make mistakes”.

“We’re still learning the tracks but overall I feel more comfortable and confident every time I step into the car,” Zhou said.

“It caught me a little bit by surprise but I was kind of expecting it because my team was talking to me about it when doing the track walk.

“When you’re driving the [simulator], you actually feel the track is like a racetrack, but … the moment I got here and looked at the layout – especially driving [in qualifying] – it feels almost like a straight circuit.

“Many corners on exit you’re next to the wall … and it makes it challenging on the entries [where] you only have grass, so if you put one wheel wrong it could be a big jump.”

Teammate Valtteri Bottas, who dropped to seventh in despite an impressive start on the medium tyres, will also be looking to remind drivers that Team Alfa Romeo are legitimate threats.

“The important thing is always getting into the rhythm because you really need a good flow for this track,” Zhou said, outlining the various high, medium and low-speed corners at “all these sections”.

“Finally getting the feeling of these soft compounds with similar track conditions is always nice. [It’s about] trying to adapt to all situations, and knowing what’s the preference with my driving style with the car. We will try to get it right.”

Though Zhou did not realise his “reasonably stable or achievable” target of Q2, which he had done twice in a row previously, the key is to return to that “consistency” he has been finding and keeping it to “no errors on my side” since becoming the mainland’s first ever F1 driver.

“As a Chinese driver, we don’t have a huge motorsports background, so to [represent my country] is always nice and to boost the country to have more opportunities and drivers and motorsports is good,” Zhou said in a pre-event F1 preview.

“I’ve been dealing with pressure since I arrived in Formula 2. You’re not just there to use the full-turn brake pedals. You’re here to chase milliseconds. You have to have a strong mind and mental health is the priority [above] anything else.”