Words by Shayni Solanki
For a country with over a billion people, it’s surprising that a 23-year-old is China’s first-ever competing Formula 1 driver.
Born in 1999, Zhou Guanyu made history when he became the first-ever Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1. Zhou was initially part of Alpine’s junior driver programme and was promoted to test driver before joining the grid. He has competed in Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula 3 Asia, and has now secured his place in Formula 1.
He made his Formula 1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2022, partnering with former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. A rough start for Guanyu, his debut season saw him finish 18th out of 20th in the standings. His low ranking wasn’t entirely his fault: the 2022 Alfa Romeo was no rocket, and suffered from reliability issues that caused problems for the driver. The car had loads of mechanical problems, hydraulics issues, and lacked pace compared to other cars. Guanyu was involved in a few collisions in his first year, with one bordering on fatal.
This season, Guanyu has shown a lot of growth. Whilst we are only two races into the 2023 season, it’s clear that Alfa Romeo are providing Guanyu with a more promising car than the 2022 edition. Guanyu qualified 13th in the first race, finishing 16th after taking a pit stop and stealing the fastest lap from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Furthermore, in the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Guanyu finished 13th: a huge improvement on last year and reason to believe that he may secure some points as the team continues to develop the car over the season. Promisingly, Guanyu has shared that he is confident in the team this year, with hopes that there is much to achieve moving forward.
Other than showing a promising start to his career with Alfa Romeo, Guanya’s also a warm soul. Representing Gen-Z in almost every sense, Guanyu chose 24 as his race number in Formula 1 as a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, his biggest inspiration. In an intense sport, Guanyu manages to handle the pressure really well: in his interview with Sixth Tone, Guanyu shows a cool confidence and healthy attitude that is so rarely found in motorsport.
As if his improvement wasn’t enough, Zhou Guanyu could also be considered something of a budding fashion icon. The Formula 1 grid sometimes doubles as a catwalk, with drivers showcasing their fits on the way to their cars. Guanyu revealed to GQ that he’s a fan of Rick Owens and has a pretty big sneaker collection. Some of his outfits turn heads in the paddock, all thanks to the thought he puts into his style.
The Shanghai International Circuit’s first Formula 1 race was in 2004, and since then motorsport has been steadily gaining popularity throughout China. The Formula 1 2021 viewership statistics show that there was a 13% increase in TV viewers in China. With a new face on the grid to wave the Chinese flag, Guanyu is genuine role model for both Chinese and all kids all over the world. Diaspora or mainland, we all want to see people from our background succeed.