"Then in Sochi things didn't go according to plan, so that just made me even more determined to stand on the highest podium again in the final leg. The entire process was a fight within my inner self. I needed to keep a cool head, and I definitely matured a lot through it all."

Another highlight of Zhou's 2021 was his practice drive at F1's Austrian Grand Prix, where he stepped in for Fernando Alonso, an idol of his since childhood.

Zhou instantly showed he could mix it with F1 heavyweights like Hamilton and Max Verstappen to place 14th on medium tires in Friday's first free practice at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

"I remember I heard on the team radio that Hamilton was six seconds behind and (Max) Verstappen was 10 seconds behind. All these names brought back memories from even before my career. They were our idols, but now all of a sudden I was able to race on the same track with them. It was unbelievable for me," he said.

Zhou's promotion to F1 fulfills a childhood dream which first formed when he attended the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix. The roar of the engines and speed of the cars at Shanghai International Circuit that day ignited the young Zhou's racing ambitions, and at 12 years old he moved to the UK to pursue his dream.

"There were no Chinese F1 racing drivers before me, so I had no one to learn from. I moved to the UK for a better racing environment. It was a bold decision, as I thought maybe I didn't have much of a chance of succeeding," said Zhou. "So I want to thank my family and my team who have stuck with me during the entire process."