“It's the mid-season break in F1, and The Race has conducted an exclusive interview with Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, where he opens up about his situation and the issue of nationality discrimination in F1.

Zhou Guanyu: "I want to continue competing in F1, that's what I want to do. I haven't thought about being a reserve driver. My goal is to secure a full-time seat because I believe I still have a 50% or higher chance of getting one.

It's clear that in 2021, when I signed with Alfa Romeo, there was a lot of racial discrimination towards me, because they didn't pay attention to my career.

I finished third in F2 and won four races that year. And now you see a driver (Berman) who is currently outside the top ten in F2 getting a seat (at Haas) and there's a lot of support for him.

This shows that nationality discrimination is a reality. If you're Asian, coming from an Asian country, it's difficult to change this bias. But I'm not worried about it."

When asked about his debut at the Shanghai circuit, Zhou Guanyu said: "I have to say the atmosphere here is even better than Silverstone, it's incredible. They're all cheering for one person, and I'm grateful to be that person. I also hope that interest in motorsport continues to grow in China.

But I don't think anyone would have expected a Chinese driver to compete in F1, and I don't think there will be another Chinese driver in the next five to ten years."