Zhou helped by Hamilton: 'He’s been very much on my side'

Guanyu Zhou feels that Lewis Hamilton has been quite supportive of him in his first season in Formula 1. The Chinese driver has a lot of respect for the Brit's past and sees similarities between the two, he reveals to Crash.net.

According to Zhou, many people underestimate what Hamilton has meant to the motorsport class. "Especially in F1, the hardest competition, to be winning seven years is crazy. Doesn’t matter if you have the best car, still winning is not easy," he judged.

The driver states that he himself did not have it easy either. This season he made his debut in Formula 1 and joined Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas. Although he tried hard to make the most of his season, he only managed to finish in the top ten in three races.

In the difficult periods, however, Zhou felt the support of Hamilton who understood his situation well. "Obviously advice he wouldn’t give me, because it’s a competition. But he’s been very much on my side, and he knows what I’ve been through, because it’s kind of similar."

Among other things, Zhou is referring to the racist remarks he had to deal with in previous years. The Chinese driver noticed that Hamilton dares to speak out and therefore sees the seven-time World Champion as a leader. He hopes this will change for the better in Formula 1 in the coming years.