Zhou conquers adversity on road to F1
Zhou Guanyu has been fasttracked to history as China’s first full-time Formula One driver, but the headlines that followed his rise hide the hard times he faced along the way.
Zhou points to his second season in Formula 2 in 2020 as an example, and how car troubles led to doubts, and to growing stress given the sport is all about results, as well as showing you can find a way to conquer adversity.
A contract recently signed with Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen came after Zhou turned some poor results around with four victories on the way to third place overall in his third season of F2.
But there’s no escaping – or forgetting – those moments of worry. “I have had struggles,” the 22-year-old said.
“I have even had some doubts a little bit about myself. It has been tough sometimes on the mental side of things but I think that all made me stronger for last year. I learned how to keep motivated, I learned you can always figure out a way around problems.”
After signing on with UNIVirtuosi as a F2 rookie in 2019, Zhou started his second season flying, taking pole for the opening round in Spielberg.
Zhou had come in wanting to make a noise and led for much of the race before being cruelly denied by mechanical problems – a recurring theme across the season. While Zhou claimed his first F2 victory at Sochi, he eventually finished the season sixth, and disappointed.
“I had some downtimes back then,” he said. “There were tough times but I never thought about giving up. So there was pressure coming into this past season. I knew that I had to start so strong. I just had to get the results.”
He signed on for the F3 Asian Championship with Prema Racing and won the title with four wins and seven other podium finishes. And he worked tirelessly with UNI-Virtuosi once preparations for the 2021 F2 began.
“I have always known I have a role to play in promoting the sport in China and in helping get people interested in the sport,” he said. “I hope there are kids looking at me and thinking that they might be able to do this as well.
“I have grown a lot and am learning how, as a driver, to be more mature. It’s good that I have tough times and am stronger because of that.”