At the age of 22, Zhou Guanyu became the first and only Chinese F1 racer to complete a Grand Prix. This marks a significant time for Chinese F1 fans as the driver who started with just practicing at the Shanghai circuit is finally in the pinnacle league. To celebrate the first time a Chinese driver is racing at the Shanghai circuit, there is reportedly also a special offering for and from the driver.

Being the first F1 driver in one of the most populated countries on earth might feel amazing. With no shortage of competition, Guanyu decided to move into an even more competitive zone by moving to Europe. Ever since then, it’s been a roller coaster ride for him to say the least. To capture all the emotion, blood, sweat, and tears that the driver has put into his career, there is a new documentary that will be in cinemas right before the Chinese Grand Prix begins.

Zhou Guanyu: The First One Documentary

‘The First One’ documentary that is set to air on April 19th before the Free Practice for the Chinese Grand Prix begins. However, this will not be the premier for the documentary as the opening of the movie was already done in Shanghai on Tuesday. And, as expected, the screening reportedly drew in almost a thousand fans at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre.

This is surely a moment of joy and pride for Guanyu and his country, and the documentary captured his story accurately while displaying some of the most important races of his career. The Chinese racer has a special place for the Shanghai Grand Prix as, back in 2004, he witnessed his very first race at the venue. Perhaps that race was instrumental in putting him on the trajectory towards where he is today.

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After understanding what he wanted to do with his life, Guanyu moved from Shanghai to Sheffield, where he honed his skills. Competing in many youth tournaments, his journey through the Formula series is very-well documented. However, one of the most crucial parts of the movie is where they show his accident from the 2022 British Grand Prix.

Zhou Guanyu’s 2022 British Grand Prix crash

The race at Silverstone was a big moment in Zhou Guanyu’s rookie F1 career. However, things took a turn soon as he suffered an enormous crash going through the gravel at Turn 1, after being hit by George Russell’s car.

Speaking about the spine-chilling incident, the driver spoke to Shanghai Daily about the mishap and revealed, “Those 10 seconds (in the car during the accident) were like the most crucial moment of my life. It didn’t frighten me, but in my mind, I did go through a lot of personal memories within those 10 seconds.” 

In another revelation, as per The Guardian, the Chinese driver sharing his emotions immediately after the crash had shared, “Once I stopped I didn’t know where I was because I was upside down and the next thing I felt was some leaking. It wasn’t hurting but it was very cold on the left hand side, so I didn’t know if it was blood and I wasn’t feeling any more or something. I was just making sure, I was more worried about if the engine caught on fire because in that position you are really stuck.”

As life-threatening as the crash looked, thankfully, Guanyu was able to come out of it without any significant injuries.

 The experience must surely be traumatic, but it is a direct reminder of what is on the line every time a driver steps into an F1 car. Although the sport is full of passion, it is one of the most dangerous grounds where we have seen casualties before.

And fast forward t0 2024, Zhou Gyanyu will be racing in his home circuit for the first time in F1. That being said, do you think he will become the first Chinese driver to score points at the Chinese Grand Prix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.