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Jonathan White

China’s Formula 1 hope Zhou Guanyu has said that his debut Formula 2 win, which came in a crash-shortened Sochi sprint in Russia was never in doubt.
“I always believed that I should have won long ago. We could have had a good season this year. Obviously the season did not develop as planned,” the 21-year-old told the Chinese version of the Motorsport website in an interview published on Tuesday.
Zhou’s season has been blighted by technical difficulties, starting with the opening race of the season in Austria in July where a first victory looked assured before mechanical issues.
The second season UNI-Virtuoso driver started in pole and recorded the fastest lap at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg but his race ended early.

Zuper Zhou ⚡️

The all-important start from @gyzhou_33 #RussianGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/v1VEffuRoB
— Formula 2 (@FIA_F2) September 27, 2020

“In general, from the first weekend, we have shown a very good speed, whether in qualifying or in the competition, we are very strong.
“Just like last weekend at Mugello [the race before Sochi], I started from 20th and got fifth. That shows that we have a very good racing speed. What is certain is that we have a good car, and we can also maximise our abilities at hand”, he told Motorsport.
F1 hopeful Zhou makes history with first Chinese win in F2
“On the other hand, the important thing is that I show my best performance, do my best, don’t make mistakes, and be always ready.
“From the beginning, collect key data from practice, from always improving in qualifying to complete all the work in all competitions.”
There are now two months before the final races of the season, a double header in Bahrain, and eighth-place Zhou will need to impress to reach his preseason goal: finishing in the top four and being eligible for an F1 licence. He spent time after Mugello with Renault’s F1 team testing their cars in Hungary.




















View this post on Instagram



















1st We did it!!! Finally finally finally! So proud to let everyone hear the Chinese national anthem for the first time in F2! #RussianGP #周冠宇f2夺冠
A post shared by 周冠宇 / Guanyu Zhou (@gyzhou_33) on Sep 27, 2020 at 5:28am PDT



“The season is not over. We are still fighting for a good annual ranking. But I think the first victory is absolutely like, You spent a long time trying to pursue something, and finally everything is in place.
“This is for me and the team. Both are very good achievements. We will work hard until the end of the season.”
Zhou had to wait 41 races and his second season for his debut win, despite a podium last year.




















View this post on Instagram



















Monday feeling #周冠宇F2夺冠 #RussianGP
A post shared by 周冠宇 / Guanyu Zhou (@gyzhou_33) on Sep 27, 2020 at 11:23pm PDT



He might have to wait a little longer to get another and to achieve the dream of Formula One but for now he is proud with a first victory, as he said in the post-race press conference on Sunday.
“Definitely proud,” he told the media. “It was something amazing. I wanted that, the same as last year. I remember last year when people would interview me, that I said that I wanted that first victory.
“We had that podium last year, and this year, getting that close in the first round of the season and losing that by a technical issue – it hurts. Then we had some struggles in the races.

GUANYU ZHOU WINS

A first victory for @gyzhou_33 as he collects half points for the red flagged race#RussianGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/5hKltQxrWF
— Formula 2 (@FIA_F2) September 27, 2020

“This weekend, starting from pole, my target was just to win the race. I think we did everything correctly at the beginning, cleanly, and getting the nice gap with Nikita, pulling away together from the rest of the pack. I knew that the fight for victory was between me and him, more or less. On the other hand, it‘s definitely amazing to have that first victory.”
Zhou made history with China’s first ever F2 win, a fact which he also noted on his social media.
“Finally! I have my first victory in the F2 Championship and it definitely felt good to stand on the top step. I promised the Chinese fans at the start of the season that I would win at least once for the country and we have done that today.”

1st We did it!!! #周冠宇f2夺冠

Finally finally finally!
So proud to let everyone hear the Chinese national anthem for the first time in F2! #RussianGP pic.twitter.com/bphWBs2roY
— Guanyu Zhou (@gyzhou_33) September 27, 2020

Sadly it meant only half points as the race was red flagged after a crash between Jack Aitken and Luca Ghiotto.
“Obviously, it hurts a little bit because we have only got half points. I think from the beginning of the race up until the red flag, we were quite decent. I think that me and Nikita had good pace compared to everyone else and were pulling away.”
Zhou is threatening to pull away as China’s first Formula One driver.


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China's Zhou Guanyu celebrates his first Formula Two victory at Sochi. Photo: Instagram/Zhou Guanyu

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Motorsport


‘We could have had a good season this year. Obviously the season did not develop as planned,’ 21-year-old says
Renault F1 test driver had podium finish in debut season and started 2020 opener in Austria on pole before mechanical issues



‘We could have had a good season this year. Obviously the season did not develop as planned,’ 21-year-old tells domestic media after China’s first F2 win.


Macau Grand Prix

Chinese F1 hope Zhou Guanyu says first F2 win ‘should have come a long time ago’

‘We could have had a good season this year. Obviously the season did not develop as planned,’ 21-year-old says Renault F1 test driver had podium finish in debut season and started 2020 opener in Austria on pole before mechanical issues

‘We could have had a good season this year. Obviously the season did not develop as planned,’ 21-year-old says

Renault F1 test driver had podium finish in debut season and started 2020 opener in Austria on pole before mechanical issues