Zhou Guanyu learned from Alonso as a child: 'He was my idol'

Max Verstappen had father Jos. Oscar Piastri learned a lot from his mentor Mark Webber. Zhou Guanyu had no one. The Chinese driver, currently racing in Formula 1 for Alfa Romeo, learnt from a Spaniard who won two world titles and is considered one of the most talented drivers ever: Fernando Alonso.

In 2005, Zhou attended the Chinese Grand Prix as a little boy. On the Shanghai circuit, waving a big Alonso flag, he saw his idol win the Grand Prix. "I was his biggest fan as a kid," Zhou said in conversation with The Athletic. "He’s my racing idol."

Eight years later, Zhou met Alonso for the first time in 2013, and he would later 'borrow' his car for a free practice at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix. At the time, Zhou was part of the Alpine Academy, and Alonso was driving for Alpine's F1 team at the time. In his mind, only one thing was in play: don't crash! "He was saying any question, you’re free to ask," Zhou said. "It was nice to see (him) help a young driver. I really appreciated it."

Meanwhile, Alonso is a rival to Zhou. While the Alfa Romeo driver mainly competes in the middle of the grid, Alonso can be found at the front of the grid with Aston Martin. Zhou sees the driver he used to enjoy so much: "I’m really happy for him. He has a strong car, and he can perform, it’s cool.”