Zhou: I knew what people thought of me

Zhou became the first Chinese driver to join F1 in 2022 with Alfa Romeo after finishing the 2021 Formula 2 season third in the Drivers' Standings. He started racing in F2 since 2019 and was seventh and sixth respectively in 2019 and 2020.

Despite not setting the world alight in 2022, Zhou's rookie season was quietly solid, as he did not seem to make too many mistakes, and scored a point on his debut in Bahrain 2022. He scored six points over the season and finished 18th in the Drivers' Standings that year.

However, the 24-year-old from Shanghai, admitted that he was aware of the gossip that followed his announcement as an F1 driver in late 2021, revealing he could not ignore them and that they affected him.

In an editorial for The Players’ Tribune, Zhou wrote: "That winter, in November of 2021, when Alfa Romeo announced I’d be in the seat, I knew what people thought of me. It was impossible not to hear it. And it’s hard, right, because I worked my entire life for an opportunity like that.

"My family sacrificed a lot. We moved from China to Sheffield when I was 12. It took everything. Some luck, too. And then before I ever get a chance to race, it’s, ‘he doesn’t deserve it, it should be so-and-so, he’s only there because of money’.

"I understand. People are allowed to have their opinions. And there’s a lot of politics in F1, of course. I know that just as well as anyone. From the outside it’s hard to see everything that’s going on. And I’m beyond thankful to be where I am — it’s not lost on me what a privilege it is. But I’m still just a person, a guy with a phone who can hear the noise.

"I think it was hard at the beginning for me because I felt such a connection with F1. I was a fan for so long. I still am. I went to every Chinese Grand Prix, and I still would if I weren’t racing. It’s who I am," he insisted.

Zhou, who will start his third season as an F1 driver in 2024, gave a glimpse on how he got hooked on F1, his idols, and how he found out he wanted to race in F1.

He added: "If I could take you back in time with me and show you my room from when I was a boy, you’d laugh your head off.

"I had Fernando Alonso posters all over the walls. It looked like the room of a teenager idolising their favourite pop star. I sat in front of the TV at all sorts of weird hours, with the volume turned all the way down, as my parents slept a few rooms over. And I would just dream.

"I’d pick my favourite little toy cars off the table and push them around the carpet as I watched Michael and Fernando and Kimi win races. I knew that’s all I wanted to do," he maintained.

Zhou expressed his feelings on being the first Chinese F1 driver in history, and how he dealt with that pressure on his debut, he stated: "To be the first Chinese driver in F1 history… it’s everything to me.

"I’m so proud of where I’m from — the support I’ve received from everyone back home. I race for them. I want to show that, even though we aren’t known for motor sports, we can still be great. That we can be fast. That we are a racing nation.

"That desire, that passion — that’s what made the first lap in Bahrain so tough," he pointed out. "In the grand scheme of things, it’s just one lap of more than a thousand over the course of the year, but I wanted to prove to everyone, to myself, that I belonged there. So I just put my head down, and I followed my instincts.

"Our team had a great strategy and we battled all the way back. It was a crazy few last laps and when I came across the line in 10th, scoring a point… it felt like a win.

"I hugged my mum in the paddock that night, and I think we both just felt this incredible sense of relief. Like, we’re here, and we’re doing it. Those countless hours going to and from sessions hoping one day something like this might happen, and we were really there, racing in F1.

"I thought of a little boy or girl watching back home in China and it made me a bit emotional. It still does. That weekend meant so much to me. Every single one does. I hope the fans know that," Zhou concluded.