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MONZA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Guanyu Zhou of China and UNI-Virtuosi Racing prepares to drive prior to qualifying ahead of Round 5:Monza of the Formula 2 Championship at Autodromo di Monza on September 10, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
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MONZA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Guanyu Zhou of China and UNI-Virtuosi Racing prepares to drive prior to qualifying ahead of Round 5:Monza of the Formula 2 Championship at Autodromo di Monza on September 10, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Guanyu Zhou has revealed that former NBA star Yao Ming was his inspiration in becoming the first Chinese driver in Formula 1. Zhou joined Alfa Romeo ahead of the 2022 season, teaming up with Valterri Bottas, who switched from Mercedes.
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Zhou has been in Formula 2 since 2019 and was part of the Alpine driver academy in recent years. His love for the sport started when he attended the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in 2004. However, the event is not part of the 2022 calendar but is contracted with the FIA until 2025.
Speaking after the launch, Zhou said, “I want to be successful. It’s important to be first in certain areas. For example, when Chinese basketball player Yao Ming played very well in the NBA, basketball became very popular in our country. Now I’m trying to copy that.”
Who is Yao Ming?
Ming is a former basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is an 8-time NBA All-Star and 5-time All-NBA Team member.
Ming was also among the tallest players ever in the NBA, at 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in). And in 2016, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Yao Ming’s NBA success was useful propaganda for the regime in Beijing. Communist China could be seen as a contributor to pop-culture and sports culture rather than just as a violent regime.” – @leesmithdc on how China used the NBA to change American perception of communism pic.twitter.com/RKzBFwpAiG
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) February 22, 2022
Zhou will look to seek inspiration from his fellow countryman as he hopes to impress in his first season. The 22-year old who finished third in F2 in 2021, will look to hit the ground running as the season begins at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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Will Guanyu Zhou Fulfill His Potential in 2022?
Zhou will hope to make his country proud from the start in Bahrain. The youngster will also be aided massively with Bottas, who won the Constructors’ Championship five years in a row with Mercedes. The team will use a blend of experience and youth, a policy that has been followed in recent times by Team Principal Fred Vasseur.
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Formula One F1 – Pre-Season Testing – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – February 23, 2022 Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou during testing REUTERS/Albert Gea
Alfa Romeo finished P9 while earning 13 points throughout the 2021 season. Now, with a new driver pairing, Vasseur will hope for more improvements in 2022; the team managed 175 laps in pre-season testing in Barcelona, 15 more than last-placed Haas.
Will Guanyu Zhou surprise the Formula 1 world this season, or will Alfa Romeo have a season to forget in 2022?
