The return of Shanghai
The last one Chinese Grand Prix took place in 2019 with the victory of Lewis Hamilton, at the time taking his first steps towards winning his sixth world title and teammate in Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. In that edition, the Finn again took 2nd place, repeating the same result obtained the year before. However, in 2020, the whole world had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic that exploded in China, and the high number of infections made it impossible to organize the event, at least until this year.
Zhou's emotions
This season in fact welcomes China to the calendar for the first time in four years, in a special edition for F1, for the fans and for one driver in particular: Zhou Guanyu. The upcoming weekend will in fact be the first in his career for the 24-year-old from Shanghai in front of his home crowd, with the Kick Sauber driver who will celebrate this appointment by taking to the track with a special helmet and with the great goal of winning the first points of the season: “I couldn't be more excited to finally race on home soil in Shanghai – he has declared – be the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1 in China it means a lot to me: it fills me with immense joy, pride and responsibility. It's not just a race for me: after four years of absence from the calendar, the championship finally returns and with a Chinese driver on the starting grid we will write history. He is an opportunity to inspire and pave the way for future generations to take an interest in this sport: We saw the passion ahead when tickets went on sale and completely sold out within hours – my country loves racing and has been waiting for this moment for years. For me, however, the focus remains on performance: once on track, I will treat this weekend like any other and work hard to get the most out of the car. I can't wait to give it my all, to share the passion with our entire team trackside and at home, and to start a new chapter of Chinese motorsport together with the public. But above all I can't wait to have a good race and get back to scoring points.”
Bottas he therefore returns to China with positive memories of his latest performances in Shanghai, and also with the main mission of obtaining the first points for himself and the Swiss team: “It's nice to be back in Shanghai – he added – It's a good track to drive on and I missed being here: it's a place where racing can be very eventful, as we've seen on many occasions – like the last time we raced here, in 2019. With Zhou racing the first home Grand Prix for a Chinese driver, I'm sure we will feel the love and support of the fans, which will make the return here even more special. The team is working hard to progress: in Suzuka we showed good race pace and were fighting for points until almost the end of the race, so we have a base to build on. The team at the factory has continued to work on our car and we will redouble our efforts to fight for points this weekend. I can't wait to see our colors in the stands and put on a great show for our Chinese fans.”
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