Shanghai (AFP)

When he played as a child with his small cars, he dreamed of becoming the first Chinese to evolve in Formula 1: Zhou Guanyu, test driver at Renault, now touches his dream with his fingertips.

If he does manage to take the plunge, 21-year-old Zhou Guanyu would undoubtedly generate phenomenal interest in China in the premier discipline of motorsport.

"When I was four or five, I was already hooked. All my birthday presents were small cars," smiles the Chinese driver, who is currently playing in Formula 2, the antechamber of F1.

"When I was 7 and a half, I did indoor karting. It was the first time I had ridden in a real kart. I immediately loved it," he told AFP.

Zhou Guanyu's adventure (pronounced "Djo Gouane-Yu") really started in 2012, when the teenager arrived in Sheffield, in the north of England, to join a karting team.

"I didn't speak too much English at the time," he says.

After good results in karting and in various categories of single-seaters, Zhou Guanyu joined the Renault Sport Academy in 2019, the French manufacturer's branch responsible for supervising promising young drivers to help them progress towards F1.

- With Fernando Alonso -

For his first season in Formula 2 in 2019, Zhou Guanyu finished best "rookie" (beginner), finishing in seventh place with the British team UNI-Virtuosi Racing.

Last year, greatly disturbed by the Covid-19 epidemic, he clinched his first victory in the category, in Sochi (Russia), and finished sixth among the pilots.

For many observers, the arrival of a Chinese in Formula 1 is only a matter of time.

Zhou Guanyu must however first obtain other successes in F2 and F3 Asia this year, in order to accumulate enough points to obtain his "Super License", the essential sesame for any driver to join the premier class.

"It is my main objective this year", underlines the person concerned.

"I don't know exactly when that will happen, but for sure I'm the closest Chinese driver to F1.

"The last step is the hardest, because you not only have to get the + Super License + but also have the chance that there is a place that becomes available."

For now, the two tubs of the Renault team - renamed Alpine F1 Team - are taken by the French Esteban Ocon, under contract until the end of 2021, plus an option for 2022, and the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, one of the idols of the young Chinese, back in F1 for 2021 and 2022.

- "It re-motivated me" -

In December, Zhou Guanyu also took part in tests with the 39-year-old Spaniard in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).

"He gave me lots of advice," says the young man.

"Not just when it comes to driving, but also how to tune your car, manage the battery during a long race or make the car perform better during qualifying."

Zhou Guanyu says he did not discuss with Alonso the pressure weighing on a young driver called to become the first real motorsport star in China.

Because the expectations are real.

“When I went to the Chinese Grand Prix (in Shanghai) in 2019, everyone said to me: + we hope to see you in F1 in two years +. It re-motivated me,” he says.

The young man also knows he is in the midst of important financial stakes: China is a huge potential market for F1 and car manufacturers, and a local star would undoubtedly give the discipline a huge spotlight.

"In China, when someone performs well, people start to follow the sport much more diligently," he said.

"If I get into Formula 1, a lot of Chinese will be interested".

© 2021 AFP