Racing in his home Grand Prix for the first time ever, Zhou Guanyu couldn’t really perform as well as he would have liked. However, the Chinese driver was still in for a surprise from the F1 and his home crowd.
To ensure Zhou gets the acclaim of his home crowd, the race organizers reserved a special parking spot for him on the grid. As Zhou parked his car in front of the grandstand, he was met with a huge cheer. Overcome with emotions, the Sauber driver was nearly down on his knees as he fought back tears.
An emotional end to his first home race @ZhouGuanyu24 pays tribute to the Chinese fans #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/0dHSvrPcE0
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2024
Starting his first-ever home race in P10, Zhou’s car didn’t have the pace to allow him to fight for a better finish. In a race that saw the Safety Car come along twice, the 24-year-old could only manage a P14 finish, meaning his team would leave the weekend empty-handed.
However, that doesn’t mean that Sauber doesn’t have any positives to take away from China. Zhou was able to put his car in Q3 both for the Sprint Qualifying as well as the Grand Prix Qualifying sessions. The results would give a massive boost to Sauber, who experienced much-improved one-lap pace in Shanghai.
Fans react to the surprise planned for Zhou Guanyu
It was a special moment to see Zhou Guanyu be surprised by the race authorities at his home race. Netizens loved the gesture and flooded social media platform X with their reaction to the gesture.
every f1 fan seeing zhou guanyu get his own special parking spot and standing ovation at his home race pic.twitter.com/9XcHSYibui
— saff (@lovepiastri) April 21, 2024
One fan confessed to growing fond of Zhou following the Chinese GP.
zhou guanyu it appears ive grown quite fond of you though there are no sexual urges or desires you come to me as a long lost friend whom i once picked apples with in papas orchardpic.twitter.com/h4pK27Xm9A
— ☾ (@16cult) April 21, 2024
Meanwhile, another detailed how Zhou’s reaction had them overcome with emotion.
Zhou Guanyu end of race radio and his reaction to seeing the crowd cheer for him. This fills my heart with warmth. pic.twitter.com/99gRgpK2Qn
— mart (@fortyfourza) April 21, 2024
One user claimed to be incredibly proud of the Chinese superstar.
ZHOU GUANYU YOU DESERVE ALL THIS AND MORE I AM SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU someone go hug him rn pic.twitter.com/jwK9T5Nph4
— ◡̈ x – isa! 伊薩⁵ (@forevettel) April 21, 2024
Several others chimed in to react to the special gesture.
the crowd: zhou guanyu! zhou guanyu! zhou guanyu!
best crowd ever
— cece | HOME GP (@zhouguanyus) April 21, 2024
Zhou Guanyu was given his own Parc Ferme to celebrate his home race. #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/rD1DJ23EgK
— deni (@fiagirly) April 21, 2024
Zhou is the first-ever Chinese driver in F1 but has never had the chance to race in his home country. With Shanghai being his hometown, the urge to race at home was even higher for him. Eventually, on 21st April 2024, the 24-year-old was able to realize his childhood dream of driving in front of his home crowd.
