Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo China Beijing Shanghai Washington Bahrain Sporting rowing FIA Winter Olympics Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo China Beijing Shanghai Washington Bahrain

China's Zhou says FIA got driver statement move wrong

channelnewsasia.com

ZURICH : China's first and only Formula One race driver Guanyu Zhou added his voice to the sport's freedom of speech controversy on Tuesday by saying the governing FIA had made a wrong move.The Paris-based FIA updated its International Sporting Code last December with a clause requiring prior written permission for drivers to make or display "political, religious and personal statements or comments" at races.

Alfa Romeo driver Zhou, in his second year in Formula One, told Reuters at the launch of the Swiss-based team's 2023 livery that he was "not too much into politics" but "I don't think it (the FIA approach) is the right way to do it."We are human so we can say the stuff we want to but we are not against anyone," he added."We are just saying the truth or trying to be the real person inside and out, so I think we should have the right to say what we want."Zhou has yet to race in his home grand prix, with China's round in Shanghai cancelled again this year for a fourth season in a row due to local COVID-19 measures.Major events such as last year's Beijing Winter Olympics have cast a spotlight on China's human rights record, with Washington labelling as genocide Beijing's treatment of Uyghur Muslims.Athletes at the Games were free to express their opinions in press conferences and interviews but not in competition or medal ceremonies.In Formula One, seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton has been one of the most outspoken on human rights and also called attention to the rights records of some of the countries that host races.Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas, a former team mate of Hamilton at Mercedes, said the FIA move would "be a big talking point in Bahrain" ahead of the season opening race on March 5.Zhou scored only

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SAKHIR, Bahrain: China’s Zhou Guanyu succeeded where many others have failed on Friday by out-pacing Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and admitted “it feels nice to see my name up there.” Zhou clocked a best time of 1min 31.610sec off 132 laps in his Alfa Romeo on the second day of pre-season testing on the same Sakhir track which will stage the 2023 championship opener on March 5. “We are well aware this is testing, of course, and everyone is trying different settings, but it feels nice to see my name and that of the team up there in the timing sheets,” said 23-year-old Zhou. “It’s been a positive day overall, we got more mileage in and went through all the targets and tasks we had set for ourselves, so I can say I am happy.
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