F1 history-maker Zhou Guanyu achieved the ‘impossible’ by becoming the sport’s first Chinese driver

CNN —

There have been 776 drivers in the 74-year history of the Formula One World Championship, but the sport had never had a Chinese racer until the arrival of Zhou Guanyu.

After getting his chance in 2022, the Kick Sauber (formerly Alfa Romeo) driver has blazed a trail for his nation across three seasons in F1, even if he had to wait to achieve his dream of racing in front of his home fans.

The Chinese Grand Prix, which had been a fixture of the F1 calendar since 2004, was suspended between 2020 and 2023 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions.

F1 did eventually return to Shanghai earlier this year, and Zhou took to the track in front of an adoring home crowd. His 14th place finish in the grand prix was almost secondary on a weekend that he described on social media as “unforgettable.” Around 60,000 fans packed the stands on each day of the race weekend.

“For me, it’s more about bringing a sport (to China) that is probably not relevant to us or not so popular for us,” Zhou told CNN at a recent Zero Petroleum’s Fuel Reinvented event.

“And when it looks like it’s impossible, to get a drive on the grid and then to make that breakthrough to be the first one, in China it basically gives a lot of hopes for the younger generations.”

Chasing a dream

Zhou began his motorsport career in karting, getting into racing at eight years old. He left China four years later, moving to Sheffield, England to continue his development with the Strawberry Racing Karting team.

He enjoyed success in the UK, winning multiple titles before being signed to the prestigious Ferrari Driver Academy.

He then progressed into open-wheel racing and competed in various junior series, such as Formula