Guanyu Zhou has outlined what he's hoping to achieve during his maiden season in Formula 1, as the rookie becomes the first Chinese driver to race in the sport. Zhou steps up from Formula 2, having been signed by the Alfa Romeo team to work with veteran teammate Valtteri Bottas. Faced with the pressure of racing and representing a country that will closely follow and support his career as he finds his feet in F1, Zhou said that the upcoming challenge is merely a continuation of what he's faced to climb the motorsport ladder. "I think it's always definitely good to be the first to make a breakthrough," Zhou told media, including RacingNews365.com , during testing in Barcelona. "Of course, for my country, motorsport started much later [than in] European countries. "It's very tough to be following the ladder of motorsports and arrive to F1 today. There are quite a lot of compromises that had to be taken by myself and my family, and also the team beyond me. "But I'm very proud of my country and I think there are a lot of people [who] really want to come out abroad to be watching me race because, obviously, there's no Chinese Grand Prix this season."
Zhou "very excited" to get his F1 opportunity
With Zhou moving up to F1 after three seasons racing with UNI-Virtuosi in Formula 2, he's explained what he wants to achieve with Alfa Romeo over the course of 2022. "My job is to focus on this season and to do well and show my full ability as a race driver," he commented. "I think the guys will keep supporting me behind my back, so it's always good to happen. "My dream was to become a Formula 1 driver and to be finally on the grid. I'm definitely very thankful for the opportunity Alfa have given me. "There's a new era in F1, so it makes things quite interesting. I am really excited and also, with the team, we're super pumped up for the season coming up."
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