The 2022 British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit was perhaps the most dramatic race of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Problems for championship leader Max Verstappen, internal warfare at Ferrari and a ten lap sprint filled with wheel-to-wheel action at the end. The Grand Prix was utterly incredible. But it will also be remembered for the first lap accident just after the lights went out that involved a multitude of drivers including Alexander Albon, George Russell and most notably Zhou Guanyu, who flipped dramatically before his Alfa Romeo launched over the tire barriers at turn one.
Zhou was thankfully okay, and escaped the accident with no serious injuries, and the halo safety device above the drivers did its job as the roll hoop on the Alfa Romeo looked to have failed. It is unfortunate for Zhou’s race that he was caught up in the accident, as the Formula 1 rookie is having a very solid season and showing great signs of improvement, having qualified 9th for the race. This is everything you need to know about the Alfa Romeo rookie and his rise to Formula 1 from the ranks of Formula 2.
How Zhou Guanyu Rose Up To Formula 1
Like nearly all drivers, Zhou started out in go karting, in his home country of China, before he moved to Sheffield to carry on his go karting and driving career in the United Kingdom. He won the Super 1 National Rotax Max Junior and Rotax Max Euro Challenges in 2013, and moved up to the Italian F4 Championship in 2015. Finishing that year as vice-champion and best rookie, he then moved up to the FIA European Formula 3 Championship in 2016 and would remain in that series from 2016 to 2018.
It was his move to Formula 2 in 2019 however that brought Zhou the most attention. He joined the UNI-Virtuosi Racing team, and was teammates to Luca Ghiotto. Zhou made a good impression that year with several podium finishes including in Spain and France, while he finished top rookie that year and won the Anthoine Hubert award, named after the French driver who tragically died that year at Spa. Zhou stayed with Virtuosi for 2020, but had a tough year despite going into the season as one of the favorites, and he finished just sixth in the standings with only six podiums tohis name.
Zhou Guanyu Stepping Up To F1
Zhou would have a much better third season in F2, again with the Virtuosi team. Partnering Felipe Drugovich, Zhou took pole position in the opening round in Bahrain and would convert that to his first feature race win in the series. He won again in Monaco and Silverstone, and once more in Abu Dhabi to make it four wins and one position and nine podiums in total. But he finished third that season in the standings, behind Robert Shwartzman and fellow Alpine young driver and that year's F2 champion, Oscar Piastri.
However, his achievements that year earned him a step-up to Formula 1. Leaving the Alpine academy, Zhou would partner up with Valtteri Bottas at the Alfa Romeo F1 team, and made his Formula 1 debut in the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. And Zhou had a strong start to the year, getting into Q2 on his debut and finishing the race in 10th despite a poor start, scoring a point on his debut. However, as a rookie, he did languish behind Bottas for most of the early part of the season, but he did soon start to find his feet.
Zhou Guanyu Quickly Found His Feet In F1
Over the last few races, Zhou has started to find his feet. He got into Q3 for the first time at Canada, in the wet as well, and would finish that race in eighth and ahead of Bottas, who himself was having a very strong season. And he qualified in the top ten again at Silverstone, in the wet again too, with 9th place. He then of course had that horrible accident at the start of the Grand Prix, but thankfully he was extracted from the car unharmed, and should be back in the car for the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, the next race at the time of writing.
Building Upon The Last Few Races
Many were critical of Zhou’s promotion to F1 given the money from China he brings, and that Piastri was left without an F1 seat. But Zhou has showed good, steady progress this season and has started to match up quite well with Bottas. Something that not many people thought he would be able to do. It is unlikely he is a generation talent like Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc. But he is laying down good building blocks for a solid career in Formula 1. And we are thankful he is okay after that horrible crash at Silverstone.
Sources: YouTube, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari