“He was my idol,” Guanyu Zhou regards Fernando Alonso as his role model

“He was my idol,” Guanyu Zhou regards Fernando Alonso as his role model

Guanyu Zhou and Fernando Alonso

Guanyu Zhou and Fernando Alonso are on the opposite side of the spectrum in their career with the rookie just starting out while the Spaniard has been around the block for many a years now. Fernando Alonso arrived in F1 in an era completely dominated by Michael Schumacher as he had five consecutive titles with Ferrari. It looked like impossible to come even close to the champion let alone defeat him.

But, Fernando Alonso with his bullish charm and feisty attitude was a breath of fresh air. The Spaniard wasted no time in making his presence felt as he went on to become the youngest F1 champion at the age of 24 years, 58 days, a record which was later on broken by Lewis Hamilton first and eventually Sebastian Vettel. Alonso has never shied away from a fight and that’s one thing that is instilled in him.

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Fernando Alonso went on to win another world championship in 2006 but has not been able to repeat those heroics ever since. It just didn’t work out for him with Ferrari but he still continues to fight with the same spirit with Alpine. This fighting has inspired a lot of drivers who are trying to make it big in F1 and one of them in definitely Guanyu Zhou who expressed his love for Alonso.

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Fernando Alonso has played a huge role in my life, says Guanyu Zhou

Fernando Alonso after winning the World Championship in 2005
Fernando Alonso after winning the World Championship in 2005

The Chinese driver said that Fernando Alonso has been his role model since his childhood. In his recent interview, he said, “He was my idol. That there were many Michael Schumacher and Ferrari fans in China, but that I actually admired Alonso’s driving style.”

“That was a very special moment for me. It‘s hard to imagine meeting with Fernando or driving his car.”

“We are rivals, although off the track we get along very well,” as reported by gpblog.

Guanyu Zhou is very lucky to have been born in an era where he can drive with the modern greats like Max Verstappen and also with the veterans like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

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