Zhou Guanyu is feeling on top of the world ahead of the returning Singapore Grand Prix, after having extended his deal with Alfa Romeo until the end of 2023, as a result of a strong rookie season.
China’s first ever Formula 1 driver has performed well in his first season in the championship, where he’s claimed three points finishes in his first 16 races.
The highlight of those so far is his P8 finish at the Canadian Grand Prix; however, his debut points finish at Bahrain is the Alfa Romeo driver’s standout result of his F1 career so far.
The Chinese driver was praised prior to the British Grand Prix for having not crashed, something rookies typically do.
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This appeared to somewhat curse the 23-year-old, who had one of the biggest crashes ever seen in F1 at the British Grand Prix.
Zhou was clipped by George Russell on the run into Turn One, which resulted in his C42 barrel rolling across the gravel before flipping over the tyre barrier and hitting the ARMCO barrier.
Thankfully, the rookie was okay, a miracle given the size of the crash.
He’s done well throughout the year to push experienced team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who joined the team from Mercedes this year.
Their relationship appears to be particularly strong off the circuit, with the Chinese driver having shared an edited meme from the popular anime series Spy x Family, where a spy has to build a family.
Bottas commented on the tweet with a simple laughing emoji, ahead of the first Singapore GP since 2019.
The race hasn’t happened since then following the Coronavirus pandemic, with this weekend being deemed as a home race by Zhou.
With the Chinese Grand Prix having been cancelled this season due to the pandemic, this weekend’s race is the closest to Zhou’s home.
The Chinese driver is set to welcome his family and friends into his garage, at a circuit he is set to “discover” for the first time.
The Marina Bay Circuit is arguably the most demanding on the calendar, with there being no rest time for the drivers across the lap.
The difficulty of the circuit, plus the humidity and high temperatures, makes for a challenging race for drivers.
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Zhou knows it will “be tough” but is hoping to take the positive energy from his “really good week” into the Grand Prix.
“This has been a really good week so far, with the news of my contract extension yesterday, and now I am really looking forward to competing in Singapore: it’s the closest to a home race for me this season, and I will have family and friends supporting me here,” said Zhou.
“On top of that, the track will be brand new to discover for me; it will be tough, as it’s a street race at night and in very peculiar weather conditions, but I feel confident and ready.”