Guanyu Zhou, the only rookie in 2022 F1 drivers, has had a promising start with the Alfa Romeo F1 team. With the racing season heading into the summer break, Guanyu Zhou, the first Chinese F1 driver, has reflected on a stressful but impressive start to the season and has also opened up regarding his future in F1.
Guanyu Zhou has scored five points in his first 13 races, including his F1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and is 17th in the drivers’ championship.
However, Zhou Guanyu has also experienced four DNFs, and at the F1 British Grand Prix held at Silverstone, he was involved in a high-speed crash on the first lap, crossing the tire barrier and crashing into the catch fencing.
Guanyu Zhou said he was “impressed” by his progress so far, but was disappointed that reliability issues had plagued him, limiting his chances of further top-10 finishes.
“Looking back, I am very impressed with the work I have done and the progress I have made since Bahrain,” Zhou Guanyu said.
“In regarding 10 or 11 races, I felt like I went through everything a Formula 1 driver goes through in 10 years.”
“I had quite a few reliability issues that forced me to retire from the race, but that’s part of the game and it’s not the best thing that I’ve already had a big shunt at this early stage of my career.”
“I think we would have scored more points without so many DNFs.”
“But at least we hit our target. We made it to Q3 and scored two points, so I’m happy with that. We’ve shown good speed and momentum to move forward.”
When asked regarding his satisfaction with the first half of the season, Zhou Guanyu said, “Overall, I’m very satisfied.”
“It’s a big surprise, especially to get through to Q3, because I didn’t think it would happen in the first year. I didn’t think there would be a lot of opportunities like that. It was a good boost for me in
“But on the other hand, I definitely feel that the expectations for myself are higher. It’s still volatile, but I’m always pretty disappointed now if I’m out in Q1. Earlier this year. That would have been fine, but now I feel that Q2 is always the minimum target, even if the field is much more compact.”
Alfa Romeo F1 has yet to decide whether Guanyu Zhou will keep his seat in 2003.
Guanyu Zhou hopes a decision will be made soon, but believes his future will take care of itself as long as he continues to perform at the wheel of the C42.
“At the moment, I don’t feel like I need to worry regarding next year,” Zhou Guanyu said.
“I think regarding it during the summer, but when I talk regarding the future, it’s following the spa.”
“In general, whether I’m in the seat or not, I feel less worried regarding what’s going to happen next year. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t stay here.”
Category: F1 / Zhou Guanyu / Alfa Romeo F1