Zhou in tears of relief after finishing maiden Chinese GP
Local driver Zhou Guanyu could not hold back his tears when he emerged from his car's cockpit, squatting in front of the Grand Stand, releasing his emotions.
The local driver finished 14th in his maiden F1 Chinese Grand Prix. For him, being able to finish the race with no major mistakes in front of an expectant home crowd was an accomplishment.
Zhou Guanyu greets fans.
"I really tried to treat this as a normal weekend, but it's so difficult to do that," Zhou said after the race. "I gave everything I have today though we didn't get the points."
As a special honor to the local driver, Zhou was given the privilege of having his car parked in front of the podium together with the top three finishers.
He left the cockpit, waved to fans, and immediately burst into tears in overwhelmed by the cheers.
Zhou is overcome by emotion.
"All the difficulties and hard work I experienced came to my mind at that moment," he said. "For me it was a big release."
Zhou said he only cried twice in the past 10 years: the first was when he was informed of his entrance into F1 three years ago, the second today.
"When I come back next year or the year after, I'll be a lot more experienced and more prepared," he said. "As for this season, I'm just doing everything I can to make my F1 career longer."
Zhou takes a selfie with fans at the Grand Stand.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen put on a dominant performance in the action-packed Chinese GP, converting pole into victory for this fourth win of the season.
McLaren's Lando Norris and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez settled for the 2nd and 3rd position on the podium. They were followed by Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Mercedes' George Russell was sixth, who was followed by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso who managed many overtakes in the latter part of the race.
Max Verstappen raises the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix trophy.
Zhou's teammate Valtteri Bottas had to retire the car after 20 laps due to engine issues.
Starting from 16th with a new gear box, Zhou dropped one place after the start. He was then overtaken by Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda to place 19th by lap three.
Zhou was among the first few drivers to pit in the 9th lap, changing to hard tires, seeking a different strategy.
His teammate Valtteri Bottas went off track in the 21st lap, triggering the Safety Car. Zhou made his second pit stop and was 17th after the resumption.
Zhou comes out of the pit lane.
The second Safety Car came out soon after a series of rear-end collisions that caused Tsunoda's tire puncture. Zhou went to 15th.
With little hope of catching up to Alexander Albon, Zhou made his third pit stop in the 41st lap and changed to soft tires.
His left front plate was damaged when overtaking Logan Sargeant, thankfully it didn't cause too much trouble in the closing few laps. Zhou eventually finished 14th.
"I knew if I hadn't made the decisions to do the pit stops, I probably won't have been there (in the standing)," said Zhou. "We decided to give it a gamble."
It was an action-packed race with one Virtual Safety Car and two full Safety Car periods
"It's great for me also as I tried to understand a bit more about the track, including the overtaking spots," he added.
Zhou said that, racing at home, the pressure had never been at such a high level.
Kick Sauber team spokesperson Alessandro Alunni Bravi said the 24-year-old has been showing maturity beyond his years.
The support for Zhou has been overwhelming over the weekend.
Putting the results aside, the influence and change Zhou has brought to the F1 Chinese GP is huge.
For the first time, all available tickets for the race were sold out within 45 minutes at the beginning of the year. On Friday, a workday, the circuit also welcomed more than 70 percent visitors.
Many new F1 fans have started following motor racing because of Zhou.
Tongji University student Zhang Zhitong was one of them. Zhang even applied to become a volunteer at this year's Chinese GP.
Fans admire the F1 trophy at the Shanghai International Circuit.
"I started watching F1 since 2022, because of Zhou," Zhang told Shanghai Daily.
He passed a language test and communication training before being a volunteer to provide services for teams during the race weekend.
"I myself like driving," he said. "I'm fascinated by how the F1 drivers use their skills to push the car to the limit. The way they use the track and the mental battles during the race are what attract me."
Over the past two decades, the Chinese GP has cultivated a group of veteran motor fans. Some have even made their important life decisions out of their passion for the sport.
Zhou's supporters wear cactus-shaped decoration. Zhou was given the nickname cactus by some fans for his performance during the Saudi Arabia GP.
Motor fan Jiang Xiaohang, who has a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics, attended the inaugural Chinese GP back in 2004. He has also help organize local motor fan clubs since 2006.
"When I was watching F1 20 years ago, it was my hobby," he said. "Years later, it became a deciding factor when I was choosing my university major.
"My parents are in the ship building industry, so I was interested in hydromechanics and aerodynamic since childhood," he added. "I picked the same major as Adrian Newey (chief technology officer of the Red Bull Racing)."
Lewis Hamilton also enjoys a lot of support in China.
F1 represents the top technology of the automobile industry, though it's still a bit early to discuss the impact the F1 Chinese GP has brought to Shanghai automobile industry, said F1 commentator Ye Fei.
"F1 and the automobile industry will have to develop in parallel for some more years before they intersect. But one fact is that more people have participated in motor sports in the past 20 years thanks to the Chinese GP."
About 10 percent of the spectators at the 2024 Chinese GP are from overseas.
"More people are not only watching, but starting to try it themselves. Children go karting, and those with a high-performance cars at home want to race on the track. That's an obvious trend."
According to FIA's preliminary calendar for 2025, the Chinese GP will be held on March 21-23 as the second race next season.
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