The path to becoming China’s first F1 driver was a lonely one that required endurance and tough self-discipline, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu said on Tuesday, ahead of his first Grand Prix race in his hometown Shanghai. 

The motorsport event will return to the country for the first time in five years this weekend post-pandemic, with hype building around Zhou. Zhou, 24, who made history in 2021 when he signed with Alfa Romeo as China’s first-ever F1 driver, described his road to motorsport’s highest level as arduous.