Zhou accepts ‘pressure’ of being China’s ‘only hope’ in F1

Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou acknowledged the burden on his shoulders, as he carries China’s “only hope” in Formula 1 in the medium to long term.

Zhou will take to the grid this season as China’s first ever full-time Formula 1 driver, giving the world’s most populous nation a presence in the sport in a season where Shanghai does not feature on the calendar.

The clamour for the second seat at Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas was well documented, with several names having been touted for the seat – but Zhou was ultimately Alfa’s choice for the year, and he admitted that there had already been significant public clamour for him to get a drive in Formula 1.

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With that came the need to make the move quickly, as the 22-year-old said if he had not got on the grid this year, he was unsure if that chance would come for him any time soon.

we’ll just leave this here pic.twitter.com/hbYN4EoOxa

— Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN (@alfaromeoorlen) March 5, 2022

“I felt quite a bit of pressure last year, even before the deal was done,” Zhou told reporters, quoted by the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com.

“There was so much talk about me and in my country; they really want to see me in Formula 1. And I’m the only hope for China for the next five to ten years, so I