Who is Guanyu Zhou, the Chinese driver who suffered a brutal accident in the British Formula 1 GP

The Formula 1 grid for the 2022 championship included representatives from fourteen countries and four continents. Among the 20 names that this season are competing for the most coveted title in world motorsport there will be three Englishmen, there was a Chinese, Guanyu Zhouwhich made history by simply pressing the accelerator Alfa Romeo for the first time at the Bahrain GP.

The one born in Shanghai 22 years ago, who suffered a brutal accident at the Silverstone circuit this Sunday along with Thailand’s Alex Albon and three other drivers – the FIA ​​said after several minutes of uncertainty that both were aware, out of danger and transferred to the nearest hospital, months ago he became the first driver of his country in running in big circus and he realized a dream he had from a very young age and for which he started working more than a decade ago.

“Being a Formula 1 driver is very special and the chances of reaching it were very small. But it was my dream, that’s why I left home so early,” said the Chinese in an interview with the Spanish newspaper. Ace.

The premier category entered the Asian giant for the first time in 2004, when the first edition of the Chinese Grand Prix took place. Zhou was only 5 at the time. and fell in love with motorsport. At the age of 7 he started karting in his country and at the age of 11 he left home and moved to Great Britain to “try to make the right steps and cross F4, F3 and F2 and finally get to Formula 1”, he explained.

So he did. Having achieved good results in the British, European and world karting championships, he has caught the attention of ferrari, who recruited him for his Pilot Academy, a young pilot development program, when he was 16. With the youth team of the squad He finished second in the Italian Formula 4. He then went through the F3without great results, and in 2019, when it debuted in F2joined the Renault Sport Academy (now Alpine).

In that category he managed to shine. In his first season, he scored five podiums and finished seventh. In a 2020 altered by the pandemic he finished seven times in the top 3, obtaining his first victory and finishing sixth overall. And last year he led the championship for a while, but in the end he finished third, with four wins and five more podiums.

A curiosity: the young Asian raced for most of last year with a helmet with which, among other gifts, he honored his great idol. Michael Schumacher? Ayrton Senna? Lewis Hamilton? No, Kobe Bryant. This year he will also wear Lakers’ classic gold and purple colors – protecting his head. And on his car he also used the number 24, a number that in the NBA is synonymous with the legendary shooting guard, who disappeared in 2020.

“Kobe was a huge inspiration to me when I was more interested in basketball than motorsports. What impressed me the most was his work ethic, “he said confirming his bib number. Although he added:” Plus, 24 equals four times six. And six is ​​a lucky number in my country. “

The great progress of recent years has opened the doors of Formula 1 to him. In 2021 he had the pleasure of trying one of the fastest single-seaters in the world for the first time. At the beginning of July, he replaced Fernando Alonso in the first training sessions of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Since then he has been the first Chinese to participate in an internship Ma Qing Huawho did it in a car of the Spanish HRT team at Monza and Marina Bay in 2012. Before that he had been close I have Pin Tunga Dutchman of Chinese descent, who was a Renault test driver in 2010, although he never got into a car in an official test.

In mid-November Alfa Romeo announced him as a partner of Valtteri Bottas, whose arrival had been confirmed months earlier, after learning of the Finn’s departure from Mercedes.

“When my manager called to tell me about it, it was very emotional, I couldn’t even speak for 20 minutes. It sounds so unreal, but exciting,” acknowledged Zhou. “The path to F1 is very difficult, it takes a lot of time and effort. For me, as a Chinese rider, I think the process was more difficult, because there was no guide to tell me how to choose the best route.“.

The Chinese feels he has reached the premier class at the right time. “With the new cars, the advantage of the other drivers is slightly lower than it would have been if it had arrived last year,” he assured him.

He added: “I wanted to be here and do well. I want to work with Valtteri to help improve the team. I’m happy and impatient.”

Zhou and the impulse towards a new market

Guanyu Zhou’s arrival in Formula 1 was not without controversy. It is that many have pointed out that Alfa Romeo’s decision to add him to the team instead of Antonio Giovinazzi it was mainly driven by economic and business opportunities for both the team and the category.

“F1 is emotion, talent, car, risk, speed. But when money does its part it can be ruthless”, the Italian, who lost his place in the Great Circus at the hands of the young Asian, downloaded on his social networks.

You are a bit right. According to the portal Passion engineZhou would land in Alfa Romero with an initial $ 35 million and the possibility of more sponsors joining during this season.

But in addition, its presence on the grid is a special attraction for the Chinese market, which skips its Grand Prix, suspended from 2020 due to the pandemic, but which would return in 2023 and is confirmed until 2025.

“It’s not about the money that Zhou has brought in, but the interest he has generated. This opens up great opportunities for us: in the last two weeks we have received many more calls from sponsors than in the last 25 years. This is good for our team and it could offer opportunities for other teams and for F1 ”, assured Frederic VasseurCEO of Alfa Romeo.

“Zhou is an incredible talent, a fantastic addition to the incredible line-up we have, and he will entertain and retain all of our Chinese fans, who now have a hero at home to cheer on all year,” he said several months ago. Stefano Domenicalipresident and CEO of the category, looking to the future.

It is that China is a showcase that has not finished being explored by Formula 1 and car manufacturers. A star of that country in the Great Circus would be a real springboard for the discipline that has not yet caught on in the Asian giant and which, moreover, hopes to be able to add a second date to the calendar in that soon country.

Likewise, Zhou does not think in these terms. For him, getting into a single-seater and competing in a Grand Prix for the first time was simply making his lifelong dream come true. Even though this Sunday was on the verge of death. His car, in fact, almost ended up in one of the stands.

“It is an honor to represent and carry the Chinese flag in F1, people are proud of me,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing well and getting good results.”