Source: Bloomberg

The first -level Formula (F1) China Grand Prix Shanghai Station in 2004, five -year -old Zhou Guanyu cheered for idol Spanish driver Fernando Alonso on the stands.

He became the first F1 official racer in China last year and played for the Alpha Romeo team.This rising sports star has attracted millions of global brand sponsors. Whether F1 can release the potential of the Chinese market in the future may be a key.

Before participating in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu said in the April of the Alpha Romeo team in Hinwil, Switzerland, "F1 is basically my life, my world, and my dream.The only dream of realization. "

F1 is difficult to resonate in China, and the degree of popularity lags far behind basketball or football. In some reason, China lacks the history of racing and has a limited scope of broadcasting.In 2023, the F1 China Grand Prix has been canceled for the fourth consecutive year because of the cancellation of the epidemic, which has allowed this sport to further popularize the world's Nafei Sports Documentary Drive to Survive.But last year Zhou Guanyu's collision in the British Grand Prix "Silverstone" has attracted F1 in China.

Mark Thomas, managing director of S2M Consulting, a sports marketing consulting company focusing on the Chinese market, said, "To increase attention and expand the fan base, the fastest way is to have Chinese among top athletes. Zhou Guanyu is the dream of the sponsor."Essence

As far as TV ratings are concerned, China is already the world's largest market.As of 2021, the number of watches reached 70 million, but this considerable number did not convert to corresponding income.The intermittent cooperative relationship with Chinese state -owned TV stations limits their influence in China, and their core fan bases in China are still much smaller.

For Chinese sponsors who want to go to international, their first choice is still football or Olympic Games.China has a stronger strength in the racing sports. The full electric equations (also known as the E -Class) race. Beijing held the first game in 2014. Weilai 333 Electric Founder Team is a team managed by several Chinese companies.

Alpha Romeo team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said, "Having a Chinese driver is not only good for our team, it is good for the entire F1 event industry. Through Zhou Guanyu's team, we can promote F1 and F1 culture in China".

Talent and Finance

European racing sports and European auto manufacturers are inseparable. It is a platform for testing new technologies and demonstrating brand power, but China's racing culture or infrastructure is different from Europe.The introduction of the F1 Grand Prix is part of the Shanghai Municipal Government to improve the automotive industry and the global image plan. The track has now been included in Shanghai International Automobile City.

Some people think that Zhou Guanyu's development potential in racing motion may not be as good as Yao Ming's men's basketball team, but in fact Zhou Guanyu faces more obstacles. After all, Yao Ming has a lot of support in China when he joined the NBA.By.

This means Zhou Guanyu must open his own path.

His childhood is different from ordinary Chinese children. Chinese parents generally focus on scores, and children's free time is often full of learning.Zhou Guanyu, who grew up in Shanghai, loved cars since he was a child. When his father took 7 years old, he went to the indoor kart track, and he completely fell in love with the car.This hobby is supported by his parents, and he will even let go of his homework on Friday to participate in the weekend competition elsewhere.

According to domestic media reports, in order to support his hobbies, Zhou Guanyu's father gave him a professional kart track when he was 8 years old.

At the same time, F1's strong start in China began to show, and the audience of Shanghai Station decreased. Reports on local partners' losses caused domestic heated discussions. People arguing that Shanghai should still hold F1 events.

Although this sport has been neglected, as China has soared, and in 2009, it became the world's largest automotive market, and China's importance to F1 sponsor continued to rise.In order to realize his dream of racing, Zhou Guanyu had to move overseas because there was the best training venue and the most competitive racing environment.Zhou Guanyu, who has broken many Chinese records, is looking for a bigger world, and his family also supports him.

At the age of 12, Zhou Guanyu and his family moved to Shefield in northern England.At first, his spoken language was not good. He studied kart training while studying, and joined the local team Strawberry Racing.He is often the only Chinese driver on the track, but his racing technology and English level have quickly improved.

Although F1 has worked hard to improve diversification and tolerance, so far only five women have participated in the F1 competition in history. The last time that women participated in were 1976, and the driver was Lella Lombardi from Italy.British driver Lewis Hamilton has won seven F1 World Champions, and is the only black racer so far.Overall, this sport is still dominated by European drivers.

Zhou Guanyu said, "We never thought that one day there would be Chinese drivers appearing."

To reach the F1 level, racers must not only have talent and perseverance, but also need huge financial resources from families or sponsors.Hamilton once said that the experience of working all the way from working families like him has been unable to copy in today's era, because this sport has become a "billionaire boy club."Usually, there are five to seven -year -old kart cars. Young drivers may spend millions of dollars at the basic stage.

The happiest moment

In 2014, Zhou Guanyu joined the Ferrari Car School in Malanelo, a step closer to his dream.Since then, he has participated in the Italian Fourth Formula (F4) competition, European Level 3 (F3) and Two Formula (F2) competitions.In 2021, he ended the season with the third place in the F2 Championship.

After officially joined F1 in 2022, he scored 6 points in the rookie season, including 1 point in the first game of Barin, ranking 18th annual.

Zhou Guanyu scored 1 point in the first game as one of the "happiest moments" in F1.

Before the game, many people questioned whether he was really qualified for F1."Many people suspect that I say that I am not fast enough, and it will count the first," Zhou Guanyu said."I was really focusing at the time. I know I can. I know I am qualified to be there. In the first game, I really changed people's thoughts. This is a wonderful moment."

This year, Zhou Guanyu scored the first two points this season at the Australian Grand Prix, ranking 15th.But Tom Hoogendijk, the director of marketing of Infront Sports & Media Ag, said that the score could not make him pay more attention.

"Now he is at the middle or slightly behind, which is normal for the second season, but it is not enough for most brands," Hoogendijk said.

Zhou Guanyu's face can be seen on the social media and billboards of some cities in China, under Dior, Lululemon Athletica Inc. and HSBC Chinese brands.But his popularity is relatively high, especially for Gu Ailing, which is the limelight of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, the latter's avatars can be seen almost everywhere in China.Essence

"In China, the first place is really important," Hoogendijk added."If Zhou Guanyu can get the first place in the competition, I think this will be enough to motivate a brand to sign a contract with him."

However, Zhou Guanyu's sunshine image and bilingual background make him more advantageous than other Chinese athletes, especially when some top Chinese sports stars such as Zhang Jike are caught in scandals.