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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton congratulated Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu after his career-best display in the Hungarian GP qualifying.
Guanyu is the only Chinese driver in F1 motor racing. He would surely have made his team and his country proud during the 2023 Hungarian GP. He performed brilliantly during the qualifying, along with his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas surprised the world with their outstanding performance during the 2023 Hungarian GP by driving and qualifying into Q3 in one of the most physically demanding F1 race tracks.
After Q3, Zhou Guanyu was congratulated by other drivers, including his F1 motorsport driver and seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. While Hamilton was on the pole for the race, Zhou Guanyu secured P5.
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According to a video put out on Twitter, Hamilton was seen congratulating Zhou. Here is the video:
Zhou Guanyu admires Lewis Hamilton and is influenced by him
Lewis Hamilton has been one of the most successful F1 drivers in the history of the sport. Matching the great Michael Schumacher's record of seven world championship wins is a great achievement that has inspired every driver on the grid.
Being one of the senior-most drivers, he is looked up to as a mentor for his extensive knowledge and experience in F1. A driver who idolizes him for all this is Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou feels deeply connected with the Mercedes driver on racial grounds especially as both of them have been targeted and trolled online. The Chinese driver has had to face online racism and abuse after being announced as an Alfa Romeo driver for 2022. Lewis has encountered similar lashes during his 16-year career.
Zhou Guanyu revealed that Lewis had made an effort to reach out and connect with him during his first year in F1 racing.
In an interview with Crashnet.com, Zhou said:
“I feel like I’ve experienced what [Lewis] experienced maybe two years ago, when he was standing out and getting all the racist comments, especially last year.”
He further added:
"I was experiencing [it] last year at the same time but kind of in a different area of our career, so these things are similar. At least this year, I think both of us are showing people what we deserve. I think F1 is a big family sport, so to have everyone understanding that and to be positive about everything is the right way to be going forward."
Lewis Hamilton was one of the first drivers to acknowledge rookie Zhou Guanyu when he first scored points in his debut race in Bahrain.
On a lighter note, Zhou Guanyu is heavily influenced by Lewis Hamilton's sense of fashion. The driver has been seen emulating his idol's dressing sense on the paddock numerous times.
He said:
“He was the first to be open in that way and it wasn’t easy. I fully remember the first time he did that. A lot of people were saying ‘why is he wearing that?’ and I was one of the guys who liked his fashion sense."
The Alfa Romeo driver aspires to design his own clothing line in the near future.
