The race in Shanghai is Guanyu Zhou’s home race. The Chinese driver and his Sauber teammate Valtteri Bottas hope to achieve the team’s first points of the season this weekend.
Guanyu Zhou: “I am very happy to finally participate in my home race in Shanghai. It means a lot to me to be the first Chinese driver to participate in a Formula 1 event in China – I feel joy, pride and responsibility.
For me, the next stage is not just another race, because Formula 1 returns to China after a four-year absence and a Chinese driver will appear at the start – we are making history together. I see an opportunity to inspire the younger generation and get them interested in racing. We can already see the passion and interest of the fans for the Grand Prix: all tickets were sold out within a few hours. In my country they love motorsport and have been waiting for this stage for several years.
However, I will continue to focus on speed. Once I get to the track, this weekend for me will be no different than any other. I will work as hard as I can to get the most out of the car. I will do my best and together with the team we will start a new chapter in the history of Chinese motorsport. But the most important thing is to have a good race and earn points.”
Valtteri Bottas: “It’s great to be back in Shanghai. It’s a great song here and I really missed it. Races are usually very eventful, as was the case in 2019 when we last competed in China.
It’s Zhou’s first home race, so I have no doubt we will feel the love and extra support from the fans, which will make the return to China even more exciting.
The team is working hard to make progress. In Suzuka we had a high race pace and the team fought for points almost to the finish. This indicates that we have a solid foundation for further work.
The grassroots team continues to work on improving the car and we will redouble our efforts to challenge for points this weekend. I can’t wait to see the team colors in the stands. We will put on a great show for the Chinese fans.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
