Zhou Guanyu is the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1. Photo Source: Social Media.
You know the old saying that goes if death comes knocking at your door tell him ‘Not Today.’ The Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu, who survived one of the scariest car crashes in F1 history, is an example of someone who cheated death and came out perfectly fine from the tumbled and trapped car.
If you were aware of the 2022 British GP crash, you might be eager to see Zhou in the F1 season 2023. Keep reading until the end to learn everything about the first full-time Chinese racer at F1, his deadliest car crash, and his second season in Formula 1.
Journey To F1
At age 5, Zhou first attended his home city Shanghai’s inaugural Grand Prix. He was cheering on his hero Fernando Alonso. After that, Zhou intended to become China’s first-ever F1 racer. But dreaming isn’t enough. You have to work for it to achieve it. So, Guanyu started karting when he was eight years old, and as his passion for racing increased, he moved to Sheffield, England, with his family at the age of 12 to pursue his motorsport ambitions.
In the 2015 Italian F4 Championship, Zhou joined Prema Powerteam and won all three races in Round 2 at Monza. It led to him becoming the season’s vice-champion and the best rookie. After F4, in 2016, he Joined team Motopark for the FIA European F3 Championship and finished second in podium positions. Zhou remained with Prema for three F3 seasons before moving to F2 in 2019.
The Chinese racer joined UNI-Virtuosi Racing for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship. He won his first Formula 2 race in the second season at UNI-Virtuosi after Jack Aitken and Luca Ghiotto crashed in lap 5, leading to a premature end of the race. Zhou made his Formula 1 race weekend debut for Alpine F1 Team at the first practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix, making him the second driver from China to participate in a race weekend after Ma Quinghua.
After a long and challenging journey, Zhou’s childhood dream came to fruition in 2022. He signed with Alfa Romeo for the 2022 Formula 1 season, partnering with Valtteri Bottas. His entry into the series was a breakthrough in Chinese motorsport history. Guanyu wears the number 24 to honor his sporting hero Kobe Bryant. In his debut race at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Zhou finished 10th, scoring a point. Another young face in F1 season 2023 is Logan Sargeant, who plays for Williams Racing.
Zhou’s Car Crash
The ecstasy of being at the pinnacle of his motorsport career was starting to settle when Zhou got into a high-speed car crash with Geroge Russell on the opening lap of the 2022 British Grand Prix. The car was flipped upside-down, skidded across the track, and bounced over the barriers into the catch fence. The crash was one of the scariest car crashes in the history of F1.
We all are aware of what a crash in the cockpit could lead to. When Zhou was extracted and taken to the medical center, everyone’s heart was at their throat for his safety. But luckily, Guanyu was declared fit after being examined. He was conscious when the marshals arrived and helped him escape the barriers he was trapped in.
It was nothing less than a miracle that Zhou survived the crash. Besides some minor bruises, Zhou felt better by the next day. When talking about the crash, the F1 racer said that the halo saved his life, and after he survived the impact, he could not get out and was only scared of the car catching fire.
The Chinese racer had a quite remarkable rookie year at F1. Zhou later participated in 5 other Grand Prix and ended the season eighteenth in the World Drivers’ Championship. He scored six points in his rookie season at F1, but the points would be higher had he not suffered a series of mechanical problems.
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Zhou All Set To Appear In F1 2023
Alfa Romeo‘s team principal Frédéric Vasseur was already impressed with Zhou and needed nothing more from him to prove himself. So Alfa Romeo handed a new deal to keep China’s first full-time F1 driver on the team alongside Valtteri Bottas.
Everybody on the team loves Zhou and gets praised for his personality and attitude. As for Guanyu, he feels grateful to Alfa Romeo F1 Team for the opportunity to be part of the team for the 2023 season. With this year’s race just around the corner, Zhou must be thrilled about his sophomore year at F1.
As the first Chinese driver in Formula 1, a lot of hope is on Zhou’s shoulders, and he takes it as motivation to become better and achieve more. So we are rooting for Zhou this season and hope to see him ascend in his career at F1.
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