Zhou Guanyu (right) poses for a picture during the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 on March 26, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Photo: IC

Zhou Guanyu (right) poses for a picture during the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 on March 26, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Photo: IC

A "messy race" in Saudi Arabia has cost Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu a chance to score in two consecutive Grands Prix, but the 22-year-old racer has set his eyes on stable progress in his debut season.  

"The team is growing toward the right direction though there was some setbacks in Saudi Arabia," the Alfa Romeo driver told the Global Times in an after-race exclusive interview. "I am confident for this season."

Zhou has reason to be confident. His maiden F1 race saw him - the only rookie driver in the paddock - clinching a point in the 20-man competition in Bahrain. He said the result was beyond his expectations.

"Frankly speaking, I didn't expect to win a point in Bahrain," Zhou said. "I didn't go back home during the winter break. Instead, I spent a lot of time training in simulators and getting fit for the new season. I think winning the point in my debut is just things starting to pay off."

Though Zhou had made it into the second round of the qualifiers both in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, he experienced issues with his starts, as his position dropped in the beginning phase of both races. 

What went worse at Jeddah Corniche Circuit was that when Zhou was meant to stop to serve a five-second penalty for cutting a corner in an early scrap with Alex Albon of Williams, an Alfa Romeo front jackman lifted Zhou's car, triggering an extra drive-through penalty, hampering his efforts to finish in a points-scoring position. 

However, Zhou managed to recover from all the drama and finished the race in 11th place, eight seconds short of a point-earning finish.

"Experiencing ups and downs at an early stage in the season will help me manage the car better," he said. 

Role change

Zhou entered F1 after three seasons of competing in F2. The role change means he has to work with over 40 to 50 people now, compared to only six to eight people in F2.

As the first Chinese F1 driver, he is also shouldering massive expectations from China. 

His point-scoring performance has ignited the enthusiasm of Chinese fans, with the topic "Zhou Guanyu scored a point during F1 debut" trending on Chinese social media immediately and earning a total of 160 million views on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo.

Many fans have been pinning their hopes on Zhou to see a podium finish this season thanks to his good start in 2022. But he says that gaining more points is still his first goal. 

"Many people are thinking, after winning a point, the next should be a podium finish, but currently I don't want to set that as a goal, as winning points in F1 is already beyond my expectations," Zhou told the Global Times. "I wish through the hard work together with the team, we can keep the momentum of continually scoring points this season."

There are some new race circuits for the F1 rookie this season, and Zhou said he expects to "deliver the full potential of his car" on different circuits. "The race car will have different competitiveness on different circuits… I just hope I can have a consistent performance and deliver what I can offer," he said.

Getting prepared

The enormous weight of expectation from domestic fans has pushed Zhou to fulfill his potential since his days in F2.

"I have always been undergoing an intensive training program since my days in F2," Zhou said, speaking of the differences between being an F1 driver and an F2 driver. "Further strengthening my cardiorespiratory endurance has become a necessity for me as the F1 race distance is longer than F2."

He also noted he is strengthening his neck muscles in order to handle the excessive downforce and G-force present in F1 races. The F1 world championships will continue on April 10 in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. But what is also obvious in the race calendar is that the remaining 20 Grands Prix include eight back-to-back races. 

"To get myself as prepared as I can be for this season, I have spent a lot of time preseason with the team and engineers discussing how we are going to adjust the car for different races," Zhou said. 

"I think we did a great job. That's why I was able to kick off my F1 career by scoring a point. It's incredible," he noted. "But it does not mean we can relax. It's a long season and we need to upgrade and thus make it possible to achieve better results." 

Name order matters

Zhou's emergence in F1 has confused many when it comes to how to present his name in the proper order as he is the only driver in the paddock who does not put his given name ahead of his surname. 

Plenty of non-Chinese media are calling him "Guanyu Zhou," but the Shanghai native prefers "Zhou Guanyu," just as his name has been presented through official F1 channels. 

"After talking with the team, we believe the name order should be Zhou Guanyu, in the Chinese way. The F1 [governing body] also supports this," Zhou said, adding that the name order difference can also help spread Chinese culture and tradition through a major international platform.