Zhou doesn't want to be a mere addition to the F1 grid

[jocelynbattle]

Guanyu Zhou, who will become China's first Formula 1 driver and is due to make his debut next month, said he did not want to be a mere addition to the world's most prestigious racing sport.

The 22-year-old has signed a contract with Alfa Romeo as a partner for Valtteri Bottas and will be the first driver from the nation of 1.4 billion people to line up on the grid for the season-opening race in Bahrain on March 20.

"I don't want to be in Formula 1 just for the sake of being here," Zhou said in a video presentation of the launch of the Alfa Romeo team car livery, as quoted by Reuters on Sunday.

"I want to be here to prove myself, make my country proud, make everyone who supports me proud. I want to do well in Formula 1," said Zhou, who finished last year's Formula 2 season third in the standings.

Zhou's love for racing emerged when he watched the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai when he was five years old in 2004, which saw the country's first F1 race.

F1's fan base in China has grown since then but there is still huge growth opportunity for the sport in a country seen as one of the main markets.

F1 in November also extended the contract for the Chinese Grand Prix until 2025. However, China for the third year in a row will be absent from the calendar following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhou, who last year became a test driver for the Alpine team and a member of the Renault youth driver's academy, wants to emulate the success of basketball player Yao Ming.

"Being the first, of course, is very important," he said.

"It's like Yao Ming in the NBA. When he was shining in the NBA, basketball became a big sport in our country. That's what I'm trying now."

Alfa Romeo became the last team to release their 2022 car livery.

Previously, the Alfa Romeo C42 car had finished undergoing a pre-season test session in Barcelona this week but was wrapped in camouflage livery.

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