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Zhou Guanyu was emotional after completing his first-ever home race at the 2024 F1 Chinese GP. Following the race, he received a standing ovation from the fans.
The race in China was a massive event for Zhou since he is the first-ever Chinese driver to race in F1. He started his career with karting and soon moved to Sheffield, England, to further pursue racing. He moved through the ranks of F4, F3, and F2, to finally join the top single-seater series.
He joined the Stake F1 team when it was still known as Alfa Romeo, replacing world champion Kimi Raikkonen in 2022. Ever since then, he had been racing alongside Valtteri Bottas, who came from Mercedes.
Despite joining the sport in 2022, he was unable to debut in his home race since China had strict COVID-19 restrictions. The country was finally open to host the race in 2024, giving Zhou a golden opportunity.
Though he qualified for P16 and ended the race in P14, he was still the star of the Chinese GP since the crowd kept cheering for him. After the race ended, the Sauber driver was offered a special place to park his car on the start-finish straight and was hailed by the fans in the grandstands.
The moment was overwhelming for Zhou Guanyu and he could not help but shed a tear for accomplishing the milestone of racing in the Chinese GP.
Zhou Guanyu shared his thoughts before the 2024 F1 Chinese GP
Zhou Guanyu expressed his emotions before his first home race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
As quoted by Reuters, Guanyu recalled how he came to watch the 2004 F1 Chinese GP as a kid and dreamt of being a racing driver back then and how that dream came true. He appreciated the crowd for showing tremendous support throughout the race weekend and hoped to perform well in the race.
"2004 I was here, before turn one also, just watching the race, dreaming to be an F1 driver in the future, and 20 years later, we are here. It's amazing to see the crowd, it's amazing to be here, of course. After a few years of missing home grand prix, I'm just really glad I'm still here and I'll try to give it everything on track," Zhou said.
Zhou Guanyu is yet to score a point in the 2024 F1 season as he currently stands in 17th place in the drivers' championship table.
