Formula One driver Zhou Guanyu has emerged as one of China's most high profile athletes on the global stage.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Zhou became China's first full-time F1 driver with the then-Alfa Romeo Sauber team in 2022.

At 26, he's already an F1 veteran who clocked 68 race starts on the grid during his three seasons at Sauber, before departing the team at the end of 2024.

Last season, he joined Ferrari as a reserve driver, a move that saw Zhou take on a supporting role on race weekends while staying in the F1 fold. 

This year, he starts a new chapter as a reserve driver for American team Cadillac - the first new Formula One team in a decade.

"Cadillac is a brand new team, a brand new project, but I'm actually very glad to see that half of the people I actually know them or worked with them in the past," he told CGTN during a recent Zoom call from Bahrain.

He was in the Middle East for pre-season testing with Cadillac ahead of the 2026 season opener in Melbourne's Albert Park on March 8. 

"For Cadillac to build this brand new regulation car, and also having the engine not have massive drama with the variability, I think it's quite an achievement so far," he said.  

"I can not wait for the season to start.” 

The new reserve role means Zhou will be supporting Mexico's Sergio Perez and his former Sauber teammate, Finland's Valtteri Bottas. 

"With me and Valtteri, he's been very honest and very willing to help me since my first season," he said of his Finnish pal.

"Of course, the battle became a bit more intense throughout the years, but the respect always remained there, and we're always very transparent, that's what I really love about working with him.” 

For Cadillac Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, the decision to hire Zhou was a testament to the Chinese racer's work ethic.   

"We wanted a candidate who had recent F1 driving experience, is prepared to work hard as part of a team and understands the challenges of developing a car throughout the season," Lowdon said in a statement. 

"Zhou fits the bill perfectly. He will be a great asset to us as we go racing in 2026 and we look forward to him being an integral part of our team.”

Zhou was born in 1999, just three years after China built its first motorsport circuit on the Chinese mainland. 

He can still vividly recall sitting in the grandstand with his family to watch the first Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in 2004.  

It was the final years of the roaring V10 era, when the likes of Schumacher and Alonso dominated, and a young Zhou was hooked. 

With just 22 drivers on the grid, the odds of making it as a Formula One driver are about the same as becoming an astronaut. 

To fulfill his F1 dreams, Zhou left Shanghai for England as a teenager to focus on karting before progressing into the junior categories and racing around Europe. 

Each rung on the racing ladder brought Zhou closer to achieving his dream and by the time he reached Formula 2, there was serious buzz about his potential to become China's elusive first F1 racer. 

In 2012, fellow Shanghai native Ma Qinghua became the first Chinese driver to participate in an F1 race weekend during a practice session, but he never made it to the starting grid in a grand prix.

Another full decade passed before Zhou fulfilled his racing destiny on the F1 grid during the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. 

Zhou would go on to score a thrilling "points finish" (top 10 result) in his very first Formula One race. 

The message was clear: a new era for motorsport in China had arrived. 

Excitement in China truly reached fever pitch during the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix - Zhou's first and only F1 race on home soil to date.

"Still to this day, I have goosebumps thinking about it," he recalled.

"Nobody expected the atmosphere we had, you know, the whole grandstand… it was a race to remember.” 

Zhou will return to the Shanghai International Circuit later this month with the Cadillac crew for the second round of the 2026 Championship. 

International attendance at this year's Shanghai race is expected to be turbo charged by China's new visa-free travel policies with dozens of countries. 

For Zhou, becoming "the first" has been a nuanced journey of emotions. 

Naturally, he wants to be known first and foremost for his achievements on the track rather than primarily for his nationality. 

Equally, he takes immense pride in his heritage and delights in sharing Chinese culture with a global audience. 

This season for example, his Cadillac helmet features a distinctive blue and white porcelain design topped off with Shanghai's iconic skyline. 

"I have 99 percent of the input in all my helmets, which I think is very important to do so. I want a helmet that represents myself, my city and my country,”he said. 

"I think the most representative thing is the blue and white porcelain, that's traditional about China, so it just reminds me of where I'm coming from, and also gives a little bit of culture to other people.” 

Off the grid, Zhou is a men's style icon who has served as a brand ambassador for the likes of Dior and even designed a collection with Lululemon. 

Netizens and style bloggers closely analyze his "paddock looks" and he's graced the covers of a stack of Chinese fashion magazines.

Alongside Lewis Hamilton, Zhou is widely credited with helping usher in Formula One's current "fashion" era, where luxury brands clamor to dress the drivers. 

"Fashion changes throughout the years when you're growing, but that's what I love about it, it's about who you are, it's about what you want to show to the people and feel comfortable doing," Zhou said. 

"After Lewis and then myself, I think (drivers) thought: 'If both of them can do it, we want to do the same.'"