Bloomberg全英文采访中国首位F1赛车手周冠宇，23岁的他能否超越姚明和李娜？（附视频&采访稿）

Formula One is basically my life, my world. 

I like to battle against the world's fastest 19 other drivers. 

No other thing makes me happier than driving. 

When Formula One held its first Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai,  five-year-old Zhou Guanyu was in the stands  cheering on his idol Fernando Alonso. 

Now, Zhou is competing against Alonso  after he became China's first full-time F1 racer last year. 

I really started to fall in love with racing my first ever attempt  or try when I was a kid around seven years old. 

We went to an indoor go-kart track  and I was actually very scared. 

I was sitting in the two seater go-kart  my dad was driving. 

But then, the first time I tried it,  I absolutely fell in love with the sport  and I really want to do it every weekend after school. 

As a kid, I grew up having that dream. 

The most challenging part for me in Formula One is  is probably before the first race. 

A lot of people were doubtful about me, saying I won't be fast, I'll be last. 

But for me, I was just really focused. 

I knew I deserved to be there. 

And to get my first points in my first season is amazing. 

Zhou is a very, very talented driver. 

We have been following him from the junior category. 

We were fully convinced that  he can be a very strong addition to our team,  and he confirmed our expectation last year. 

Imagine a rookie, coming to Formula One  and being able to score points  at the very first race. 

To have a Chinese driver of such a level  is beneficial not only for our team,  but for the entire Formula One. 

But that hasn't translated into comparable dollars for the franchise. 

The cancelation of the Chinese Grand Prix  for a fourth straight year in 2023  has been another setback. 

But Zhou's emergence  might be the key to turning things around. 

Now in his second season,  Zhou has already attracted  sponsorship deals from global brands. 

Any international sports coming to China,  for it to truly become popular, it needs to have relevance. 

And nothing builds relevance  like having your own superstar and champion to support. 

We've seen that in other sports,  basketball, with the emergence of Yao Ming,  tennis and Li Na,  how those superstars on the global stage,  have really boosted the sport. 

Now we have Zhou Guanyu on the grid of Formula One,  that will also stimulate commercial interest. 

Hopefully, when Formula One comes back to China next year,  it will start to really reap the rewards and grow the popularity. 

For me to be the first Chinese or the only Chinese in F1,  I definitely see what's happened back home. 

It's been quite incredible seeing how many people  that are staying up late to watch the Grand Prix. 

And now all we need is a Grand Prix in front of the home crowd. 

because there's so many new fans  who doesn't know anything about motorsports  now actually getting into that. 

Watching or trying to understand F1. 

Traditionally, it costs quite a lot of money  to develop a driver from a young age. 

An increasingly wealthy middle class  will mean you'll have a growing community  that will be interested in their children,  perhaps becoming Formula One drivers. 

There will be many, many Chinese people  competing in motorsport and Formula One in the future. 

I'm only optimistic that things can get better from here.