'Try and Keep Winning Races': Catching Up With Cadillac's Zhou Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu, Cadillac's reserve driver, jumped in the car for the Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona.

In the scorching Barcelona sun, Cadillac reserve driver Zhou Guanyu was in the midst of a long day, completing 130 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya all in the name of tyre testing. While he took a rest to cool down from the blazing Spanish heat, his team of engineers and mechanics worked on the car.

Guanyu sat down with The Paddock Journal during this pause in on track action to discuss his journey in Formula 1 and his life away from the paddock.

The Paddock Journal: We’re in Barcelona, a track where you’ve driven some of your best races. Is it a favourite on the calendar?

Zhou Guanyu: The circuit is great, but it’s probably not my favourite. It’s a fun track that every driver has driven around since we were young and it’s a cool layout, especially when they changed the last sector and it became a much faster circuit.

Silverstone is number one for me and I think this car is going to be more fun there next month! I just love Silverstone as you don’t have to watch your lap time to know if you’re going fast or not, you can just tell by feel. If you’re in a flow and you feel comfortable, the fast lap time is coming, whereas other tracks are more stop and go.

TPJ: Cadillac has partnered with Tommy Hilfiger for its inaugural season in Formula 1. How exciting is that collaboration?

ZG: The overall team kit and the special editions are really nicely designed merch. The fact it’s not just designed by the team itself, it’s designed in collaboration between us and a fashion brand is great: exactly what we wanted, a mixture of Tommy and Cadillac. It’s cool to have them on board.

TPJ: How would you describe your own personal style?

ZG: I follow the trends of how fashion is changing, but I do like to just be myself. When I come to the track, I wear something I would wear in normal life, but I always have a massive respect for different brands and designers. If I have a partnership, I like to pick an outfit from a few options. Some brands try to give you the latest merch you have to wear. That’s okay for some people, but I don’t want to be like that, I like to choose.

TPJ: Who are your favourite brands and designers?

ZG: I would say a mix between Chrome Hearts and Rick Owens. I like dark colours, and if you look at their stuff it’s mostly black with detail. When you wear their stuff people know you are wearing it, but it’s not so loud or looks like you’re showing off.

TPJ: You’ve spoken previously about how proud you are to be the only Chinese driver to have raced in Formula 1. Shanghai has been on the calendar for over twenty years, and this year saw another record crowd. Is it only a matter of time before we see another Chinese driver on the F1 grid?

ZG: There are a lot of Chinese drivers now. When I started, there were only a few others at my age who ended up racing in a different category or just stopped. If you look at how crazy the Chinese Grand Prix crowd is, they just keep breaking records and it’s great to see.

There’s a lot of young drivers in karting, in junior single seaters, and all over the world in all different categories. It’s exciting to see that they are all trying to get to F1, and hopefully soon it will be more than just myself.

TPJ: You’ve had to work incredibly hard to make it to F1. What advice would you give to someone without immediate connections who is trying to break into the racing industry?

ZG: The best thing you can have is a winning mentality. As a driver, you have to try and keep winning races. It definitely makes your life easier if you have a family who is in racing, as they know the journey and have the right connections. Like you say, I didn’t have family in racing so it was very difficult, but you have to prove yourself and test yourself against the best.

I always tried to pick the hard championships. Back in the day, I entered the European Championship because I saw that George [Russell], Charles [Leclerc] and Lando [Norris] were racing in that category. I knew if I could beat them and compete at that level then I would have the best chance to maybe get picked up by an F1 team, rather than choosing an easier category and winning more easily.

TPJ: We’ve seen you playing tennis on social media. Who from F1 would be your ideal doubles partner?

ZG: I know that Lance Stroll is the best by far, like almost professional. So, if I want to win I will go with him, but at this point I would probably go with Oscar [Piastri]. He plays very well, and a few years ago he kept inviting me to play but I kept declining.

It’s good to play other sports. It’s a great way to relieve pressure, hitting a great forehand with that sound of the ball, it’s like a three-pointer in basketball, it’s a very nice and satisfying feeling.

TPJ: Your cat, Sweetcorn, has her own social media following. Does she travel around the world with you?

ZG: No, she is very scared of meeting new people so she likes to be in her secret place at home in Shanghai!

TPJ: How nice is it, after long trips around the world, to come home to her?

ZG: The first thing I do when I go home is visit her and give her a cuddle. She can tell when it’s me coming up the elevator so she is always waiting for me, and that’s a really nice feeling. She always sleeps on my bed too.