China News Service, Beijing, September 27 (Reporter Yue Chuan) On the 27th Beijing time, the Alfa Romeo F1 team ORLEN officially announced that the team will continue to join hands with Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu to compete in the 2023 World Formula One Championship.
The Formula 1 World Championship is the apex of global motorsport.
However, in the past few decades, Chinese drivers have always missed it, until the history of this season was rewritten by the 23-year-old Zhou Guanyu.
As the first Chinese driver to compete in F1 in history, Zhou Guanyu won points on his debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the season opener.
So far, he has scored 6 points this year, helping Alfa Romeo sit 6th in the constructors' championship.
Photo credit: Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN
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"I am very happy to have the opportunity to be part of the team in the new season, and I am very grateful to the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN. The team has given me great support and welcome, and helped me to adapt to the most complex event in F1 as soon as possible. Thank you for supporting me along the way, there is still a long way to go, I will continue to work hard and continue to break through myself.”
After the official announcement of the contract renewal, Zhou Guanyu immediately expressed his gratitude to the team and fans.
He admitted that getting into Formula 1 was a dream come true and the feeling of racing for the first time was something he "will never forget".
In Zhou Guanyu's view, it is a great honor to realize the dream of becoming an F1 driver this year, to showing himself in the F1 arena along the way, and bringing the Chinese speed to the highest stage in the world.
Although many "firsts" have been created, Zhou Guanyu's dream does not stop there.
Data map: Zhou Guanyu in the game
"I have a lot to learn and a lot to improve. I have a lot of common goals with the team. The efforts we have made since the beginning of the year are just the first steps towards our future goals." This season, Zhou Guanyu is full of confidence, and he looks forward to writing a new chapter with the team.
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More than 70 years after the birth of F1, the first Chinese face is finally ushered in.
It is for this reason that since the moment Zhou Guanyu stepped into the F1 arena, doubts have never stopped.
There are always media questions: Is Zhou Guanyu suitable for F1?
In today's F1 world, no one knows Zhou Guanyu's strength better than Alfa Romeo team, and his long-term efforts to achieve his dream.
Regarding "Whether Zhou Guanyu is suitable for F1", the Alfa Romeo team undoubtedly has the most say, and they also gave a positive answer.
Data map: Zhou Guanyu got the first point of his F1 career
Why did you choose to renew Zhou Guanyu?
The response from the Alfa Romeo F1 team ORLEN was concise and clear: in his rookie season, the young Zhou Guanyu showed his maturity and racing level, and made outstanding contributions to the development of the team.
“From the first day of testing in Abu Dhabi last year, I was impressed by Zhou Guanyu’s work ethic. He is a positive, friendly person and everyone in the team likes his personality and attitude. He is always very Humble, will ask questions from the engineers and Bottas and apply what he has learned. Next season, he can draw on the experience gained this year. I am sure he will go further as the team continues to develop.” Alfa Romeo F1 Team Principal Frederick Vassell said that Zhou Guanyu's adaptation to F1 in a short period of time was one of the biggest surprises for the team this season.
Professional attitude, studious personality, and humble character, the team saw the shining point of Zhou Guanyu.
This makes them believe that with the continuous accumulation of experience, Zhou Guanyu has huge room for improvement in the future.
Photo credit: Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN
Performance
Zhou Guanyu is the only rookie driver in F1 this season.
Up to now, he has entered the points area in Bahrain, Canada and Italy respectively, and has won a total of 6 points, temporarily ranking 17th in the driver's standings.
It is a pity that Zhou Guanyu had to retire more than once this year when he was expected to get points, including a serious crash.
If you are lucky, Zhou Guanyu's ranking will be higher.
When reviewing his performance in the first half of the season, he also admitted that he seemed to have experienced all the things that other F1 drivers can only meet in ten years.
Even so, this transcript handed over by Zhou Guanyu is still above the benchmark.
Including world champion Alonso, Zhou Guanyu's current teammate Bottas and others, many well-known drivers failed in their "first grade".
The picture shows the moment when Zhou Guanyu rolled over.
Image source: ICphoto
As an F1 rookie, Zhou Guanyu proved his growth with his performances in each game.
He steered the wheel and kept making history on a track with only one Chinese driver.
Not only that, Zhou Guanyu gets along well with the team, especially with Bottas.
As a frequent visitor to the team's headquarters, Zhou Guanyu has made great contributions to promoting the development of the simulator project, and spared no effort to tap the maximum potential from the team's C42 car.
Zhou Guanyu is increasingly adapting to the rhythm and life of F1, both on and off the field.
significance
As the first Chinese driver in the history of F1, when Zhou Guanyu drove his car on the track, the dream of several generations of Chinese fans has been supported since then.
For the development of Chinese motorsports, the positive impact of Zhou Guanyu's long-term expedition in F1 is immeasurable.
The rookie season is a process of selection and verification, and everything that happens is testing whether a driver can stand on the F1 arena.
If last year's cooperation was the team's platform for Zhou Guanyu to show, then after nearly a year of close contact, this contract renewal represents the team's full recognition of Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou Guanyu is a natural activist.
Rather than words, he prefers to fight back doubts with practical actions.
This contract renewal is the best response.
The continuation of the cooperation means that Zhou Guanyu, an icebreaker, is not a flash in the pan, and Chinese drivers have the ability to gain a firm foothold on the world's top stage.
Photo credit: Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN
Without the guidance of seniors and lack of experience to learn from, Zhou Guanyu has made great efforts behind becoming the "first person in F1 in China".
In an exclusive interview with Chinanews.com at the beginning of the season, Zhou Guanyu talked about his goals for this year, "I hope I can perform steadily, lay a solid foundation, and make unremitting efforts to bring out the ultimate potential of the car and keep as many points as possible to finish the race."
As Zhou Guanyu said, every race this year is brand new to him, and he needs to feel it with his heart.
There are no shortcuts to success.
One step at a time, Zhou Guanyu walked solidly and firmly.
It is this steadfastness that makes him more confident to face future challenges calmly.
For Zhou Guanyu, a quasi "post-00", the dream track has just been rolled out.
The valuable experience in his rookie season will be a new starting point for him to face the future.
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