F1 wants to maximize presence in China after a five-year absence

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has stressed the importance of a return to China and the great potential to develop in the country as the series returns to Shanghai for the first time since 2019.

The F1 chief made these comments in a recent interview with maximize.”

Despite finishing outside the points in 14th place at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber’s Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu was still the center of attention at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The Shanghai native’s every move was cheered on by a partisan home crowd, witnessing a Chinese driver’s race for the first time at a Chinese Grand Prix, and Zhou was visibly emotional as he emerged from his Sauber at the end of the race stepped. race.

Zhou had been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2014, which was also Domenicali’s last year as Ferrari team boss, and the Italian said he was impressed by Zhou, who was “very polite, positive, smart and of course very fast” . and “did a fantastic job for us in China.”

“He is a very talented driver. Seeing a Chinese driver capable of being among the top 20 drivers in the world means a lot for the ambition you have to have,” said Domenicali, who added that Zhou is a had great potential to influence the competition. the growth of F1 in China.

“For the Chinese people and the younger generation, they can see him as an inspiration to try to be not just a driver, but also engineers, mechanics and all the kinds of skills and competencies that we need to be a key player in our world are. So I think he will be the enabler.”