Motor racing-China F1 crowd turns up the volume for Zhou's home debut (updated)

Liberty Media

21/04/2024 12:57

(Updates following Grand Prix)
    By Joe Cash
       SHANGHAI, April 21 (Reuters) - Chants of "Guanyu,
Guanyu, Guanyu" drowned out all other sound at the Shanghai
International Circuit on Sunday as Zhou Guanyu, China's first
and only Formula One driver, stepped on to the starting grid
ahead of his first Chinese Grand Prix.
    Sauber's Zhou, who was racing in his hometown in China's
first grand prix since 2019, had failed to score a point in the
season's first four races but that did not dent the enthusiasm
of the estimated 60,000 fans who turned out each day. 
    "It’s really difficult. You try to focus on your job, on
what's going on with your driving, but then having them all
screaming and shouting and cheering for you; I’m just so
grateful," Zhou said after finishing the race in 14th place and
outside the points. 
        Before lining up on the grid in front of seven-times
world champion Lewis Hamilton, the 24-year-old described how he
had watched the race from turn one in 2004 "dreaming to be an F1
driver in the future".
  
        "It’s such an emotional journey these twenty years. It
reflects so quickly on your mind, I’m just so grateful to be
here," Zhou said after the race. 
  
        Having a Chinese driver is a boon for F1 and its owners
Liberty Media, who see the country as a key market. Formula 1
CEO Stefano Domenicali has previously said China could one day
host two races.
  
    F1 fan Xu Zheng, who travelled down from Beijing to watch
the race, said Zhou's significance to Chinese motorsport could
not be overstated.
    "A decade or two ago, when I was new to F1, it was
unimaginable to have a Chinese driver racing in a Formula 1
car," he added. 
    "Zhou Guanyu's experience and story will surely inspire more
Chinese practitioners of the sport or children who share the
same dream to strive for the future."

 (Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Clare Fallon
)
 ((Joe.Cash@thomsonreuters.com;))