F1 Looks to Unlock New Riches With China’s Rising Star

At Formula One’s inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in 2004, five-year-old Zhou Guanyu was in the stands cheering on his idol, Spain’s Fernando Alonso.

Now, Zhou is competing against Alonso for Alfa Romeo, after he became China’s first full-time F1 racer last year. As one of the country’s rising sporting stars, Zhou has already attracted millions in sponsorship deals for global brands, and is also the key to helping F1 finally unlock the potential that the world’s second-largest economy holds.