Zhou speechless over points finish in first F1 race: "It's amazing"

Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou set a memorable debut race in Bahrain on Sunday. He scored a point and thus crowned a double points finish for his team. Afterwards, the rookie looked back on an "emotional and intense" first Formula One race.

Zhou finished a handsome tenth in his first appearance as a Formula One driver, while teammate Valtteri Bottas crossed the finish line in sixth. For Alfa Romeo, it marked the first double points finish since the 2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

"It's amazing, I'm so speechless," the Chinese rookie told Formula1.com after the race. "It was so emotional, so intense - not physically, but mentally." To also immediately score his first point on his debut is something he would have only dreamed of a year ago, or even two weeks ago.

"Everything comes so quickly," Zhou continues. He says he is immensely proud of his team, as well as teammate Bottas. "It's a huge reward for us and it's a day I'll never forget for my whole life."

He even battled it out with Lewis Hamilton, who struggled to find grip after changing to hard tyres. "I overtook him, even though I knew he was much faster, because I didn't want to miss an opportunity," Zhou said.