SHANGHAI — Zhou Guanyu’s Chinese language followers hope the nation’s first and solely Formulation One driver can shrug off a poor run of type and shine on his dwelling debut to reply the critics who view his passport because the predominant cause he has a drive.
Sauber’s Zhou, who races in Shanghai this week in China’s first grand prix since 2019, has failed to attain within the season’s first 4 races however native supporters stay optimistic.
Having a Chinese language driver is a boon for F1 and its proprietor Liberty Media who see the world’s second-largest nation as a key market. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has stated prior to now that China might in the end host two races.
“That Zhou is a Chinese driver is definitely relevant to his team choosing him,” stated Li Qixiang, a F1 fan from Shanghai and chemistry instructor with tickets for Sunday’s race.
“His personal performance is quite controversial among his fans. His potential is recognized but it’s hard to say how he really ranks compared with the other drivers. If his car is good, he may perform better.”
Zhou loved a comparatively profitable junior profession, successful races within the feeder Formulation 2 collection in 2021 and in opposition to a aggressive subject which included present McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who completed on the rostrum twice as a rookie final yr.
The Chinese language driver has certified final over the previous three races.
“Zhou Guanyu’s ability to improve his qualifying has reached an imminent juncture. I am really looking forward to seeing Zhou get tough in front of his home fans in Shanghai,” wrote one Chinese language commentator on social media platform Xiaohongshu.
The 24-year-old is out of contract on the finish of the season, with Sauber as a result of grow to be the manufacturing facility Audi crew in 2026 and uncertainty concerning the future lineup.
The German producer has formidable targets and has additionally been linked to race winners like Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who’s in search of a seat for subsequent season when seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton replaces him.
A lot of Zhou’s supporters lay the blame for his lack of success on Swiss-based Sauber, who’ve been midfield battlers for many years on a much smaller price range than producer rivals.
“My expectations are a bit low for Shanghai, to be honest. Zhou Guanyu will only get one practice session to get used to the track … I feel he might not even make it into the second part of qualifying,” wrote one other Chinese language fan on Xiaohongshu.
The Chinese language Grand Prix can be the primary dash race of the season, with only one observe session earlier than dash qualifying on Friday and that 100km race on Saturday earlier than common qualifying.