For the first time since 2019, the Formula 1 grid returns to China. After the Chinese Grand Prix was canceled in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 due to COVID-19, the circuit returns to Shanghai for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
And history will be made by Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou will become the first Chinese driver in F1 history to race at home, and the Sauber driver noted this week that he was “excited” for the opportunity, as well as what he called the “responsibility.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to finally race on home soil in Shanghai. To be the first Chinese driver ever to compete in Formula 1 in China means a lot to me — it fills me with immense joy, pride and responsibility. It isn’t just a race for me: after four years off the calendar, the championship finally returns, and with a Chinese driver on the grid, we will write history,” said Zhou in the team’s pre-race media report.
“It’s an opportunity to inspire and pave the pat for future generations being interested in the sport: we saw the passion that awaits us when the tickets went on sale, and were fully sold out within hours — my country loves racing and has been waiting for this moment for years,” added Zhou.
However, there is a race to be run, and Sauber is hoping that the strong race pace they have shown at times this year finally translates to points. Pit stops have been a serious issue for the team, but they showed some improvement in the Japanese Grand Prix, and hope to take another step forward this weekend.
“Shanghai is an opportunity to get back to action and getting on the scoreboard,” said Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi. “We feel confidence within the team growing and we want to harness it to get the results we expect. These last few weeks were an opportunity to work hard, together with our drivers, to extract even more performance from our car. We can see the car is improving with every round and we know we can string everything together and have a good result.”
“Returning to China is a great moment for our team and our sport as a whole: not only we celebrate Zhou’s first ever home race — we expect an incredible welcome for him and the team — but also the return of Formula One [to] one of the most populous countries [on] the planet, which is a must for a World Championship. We know the grandstands will be full and we hope the show will be great.”
For Zhou, the focus will be on the best possible result this weekend. But he admits a new chapter of Chinese motorsport awaits.
“For me, though, the focus remains on performance: once I get to the track, I will treat this as any other weekend, and work hard to extract the most out of the car,” added Zhou.
“I can’t wait to give it my all, share the passion with our entire team trackside and at home, and start a new chapter of Chinese motorsport together with the crowd. Most importantly, though, I can’t wait to have a good race and get back to scoring points.”