SHANGHAI - Chants of "Guanyu, Guanyu, Guanyu," drowned out all other sound at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday as Zhou Guanyu, China's first and only Formula One driver, stepped onto the starting grid ahead of his first Chinese Grand Prix.

Sauber's Zhou, who races in his hometown in China's first grand prix since 2019, has failed to score a point in the season's first four races but that has not dented the enthusiasm of the estimated 60,000 fans who have turned out each day.