Learning curve

Zhou arrives in F1 on the back of his most successful F2 campaign, finishing third overall thanks to victories in Bahrain, Monaco, and Silverstone, before rounding off the season with a sprint race triumph and feature race runner-up finish at the final round in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.

"I would give myself eight points out of 10 for the past F2 season. The final result was beyond my original expectations. Of course, I wanted to win the F2 championship, but my goal had been a top-three finish in the driver standings to show that I could consistently produce solid drives," said Zhou.

"My results in 2020 weren't ideal, but this season I led the F2 driver standings for the first few rounds. There were ups and downs during the middle of the season, but the victory in Abu Dhabi was a great ending to the 2021 season. I'm satisfied with my overall performance, but there is still room for improvement."

Zhou has raced in F2 since 2019, finishing seventh in his rookie season. Last year, he managed six podium finishes, including a breakthrough pole-to-flag sprint race victory in Russia en route to a sixth-place finish in the overall standings.

"Before the start of this F2 season, I was braced for more pressure as I knew this could very possibly be my last F2 season, and therefore my performances could directly impact my future. I told myself I needed to show my full potential at the very beginning of the season," he added.

"I had huge pressure at Monza this year because there was a lot of speculation in the media about my whereabouts next season. So that brought higher expectations and extra attention. I have to admit I felt the pressure, and I wanted to make the necessary adjustments and knew I should not even make a small mistake. I needed to ensure everything was right on the track and produce great performances.