Shortly after the 2022 Australian Grand Prix Friday practice session, Autohome forward reporters conducted brief interviews with Alfa Romeo-led Fred Vasell inside the paddock of Melbourne's Albert Park. He responded to topics such as Zhou Guanyu's recent situation, the recruitment of Chinese sponsors, and potential competitors for Zhou Guanyu's seat next year. Let's see how he evaluates Zhou Guanyu?
Alfa Romeo F1 team leader – Frédéric Vasseur
The 53-year-old Frenchman graduated in aeronautical engineering from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Aeronauticals etudes Aeronautical Engineering. As soon as he graduated, he founded the well-known Formula Youth Team ASM (the predecessor of art team), and trained famous players such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who can be called the "demon maker" in the racing circle.
A year and a half later, Vassell moved to Hinville, Switzerland, where he began his career leading Sauber Motorsport (now Alfa Romeo F1).
The following is the transcript of the interview with the reporter:
Autohome: Good afternoon Fried, are you happy with the team's performance so far?
Vassell: Not bad (laughs)! We lost some points at the Jeddah circuit [at the Saudi Grand Prix], which is a real shame. However, the new season is a good start – whether it is the overall performance of the team, the drivers, or the competitiveness of our (C42 car), the hidden danger is the reliability problem.
Autohome: What is Zhou Guanyu's feedback on the clutch's anti-stall system at present?
Vassell: After investigation, in the saudi start-up, the "re-activation" of the anti-stall system was actually the result of a collision between Zhou Guanyu and (driver) Daniel Ricciardo. There is not much of a problem with the reliability of the car in this regard.
Autohome: Now that three Grand Prix have been held, what do you think of Zhou Guanyu's performance?
Vassell: It's not bad so far, our goal (initially set) is to get into qualifying in the second quarter (Q2) and Zhou (Guanyu) has achieved it in Sakhir and Jeddah. Unfortunately, his start to two games was too much to look back. In fact, his Jeddah started okay, but there was a collision with Ricardo. In other ways, he can compete with other drivers in the main race, achieve overtaking and bring the car back to safety. His performances so far have been solid.
Autohome: If the perfect score is ten, how many points would you give him?
Vassell: No, F1 paddocks are not schools (haha)! I know [his current performance] is difficult to measure by specific scores, but compared to our (pre-season) predictions, it certainly exceeds. This is not only reflected in the speed on the track, but also in the attitude of handling things off the track, And Zhou (Guanyu) is a team driver. He not only thinks about himself, but also pays attention to the development of the team. I think doing this would be good for his future. The Alfa Romeo team is also still looking for room for him to improve.
Autohome: Where are his strengths on the track and off the track so far?
Vassell: Let's take stock one by one, Zhou (Guanyu) has a wealth of Bahraini experience, and it is reasonable to achieve good results, and the performance of Jeddah in the second stop is slightly inferior, which is also caused by multiple reasons; Today he successfully completed his practice day in Melbourne. So far, he hasn't made any big mistakes, which is what I'm happy about. After all, when you start making mistakes on the first step, it's hard to stay motivated and positive afterwards to reverse.
Autohome: In the new season, Bottas joined the team as an extremely experienced driver, how has he played a leading role for rookies like Zhou Guanyu?
Vassell: Such a combination of drivers is very good, Walteri [Bottas] is a very open person, he knows that promoting the growth of Zhou Guanyu is also very helpful to the team, and he is doing a very good job so far. On the other hand, I think Zhou Guanyu is also very smart, trying to learn as much from his teammates as possible, and finally clearly understand the full meaning of the "F1 driver" job.
As we all know, F1 has a very commercial attribute, but it has been a bit tepid in China for so many years. This was true even when Zhou Guanyu became China's first F1 regular racing driver. As an insider, Vassell has his own understanding.
Autohome: For anyone, China is a very big market in any field. With the arrival of Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo has also attracted more attention in the Chinese market, how is the team progressing in attracting Chinese sponsors?
Vassell: For Alfa Romeo, he is undoubtedly a big-name figure, so that more people can recognize and pay attention to the brand. If he performs well, it will not only promote the development of "Four Leaf Clover" in the Chinese market, but even other related markets. Of course, Chinese sponsors will also arrive.
Autohome: Today, you have a Sponsor of a Chinese brand.
Vassell: At the Singapore Grand Prix two years ago, Ammusy sponsored our single event. In retrospect, I think it was a "mistake "(Editor's Note: too hasty and unsustainable)." Therefore, we (can not step up to the sky) must step by step to show the Chinese market F1 product, must prove that it is a high-quality product in China that can 'follow the customs', so as to attract more Chinese sponsors to enter.
Autohome: When Liberty Media took over F1 management from Bernie Ecclestone, they claimed that China and the United States were two major markets for development. We all know that the United States has no problem holding three Grand Prix a year; Will having Zhou Guanyu as a "racing ambassador" make F1 more effective in China?
Vassell: I think Zhou Guanyu performed well in F1 and was good for F1 and all ten teams. With such a large Chinese market, F1, automakers, sponsors and other stakeholders are unlikely to give up and avoid it. However, if Zhou Guanyu competes at the end, it doesn't make sense. At present, I am convinced that with the accumulation of his experience, it is possible to develop in the positive direction we imagined.
According to people familiar with the matter, the contract that Zhou Guanyu currently holds is only a one-year + one-year option contract. For Shanghai drivers, if you want to stay in F1, in addition to your own performance, you also have to watch the 2022 F2 answer sheet of Sauber's rising 18-year-old rising star Theo Pourchaire.
Autohome: Earlier, you mentioned that Zhou Guanyu's performance exceeded the team's expectations. Do you think that after he scored points on his debut, his biggest pressure was gone, and he could seem to be better?
Vassell: No, you can't say there's no maximum pressure after two grand prix games! But partly, yes, the "rookie driver" has a kind of "negative pressure" after the start of the season – every time you get into the car, you think about when I can get points and when I can get into Q2. Now that he's done, it's a good thing for him. Then again, I don't think it's a good thing that drivers are not stressed because they need pressure to push you forward.
Autohome: Theo Bochelle is currently doing great in FIA F2 (winning the Bahrain regular race) and he also tested Alfa Romeo's old F1 car in Hungary last year. Do you have more far-reaching plans for him?
Vassell: It's not that far-reaching, and I think the most important thing for Theo is to focus on the FIA F2 Championship. It's a big challenge, he has to win the championship, it's a key step in his career! I don't want to "interfere" with its play in F2.
Autohome: You've trained a lot of young drivers, how do you balance Zhou Guanyu – this rookie driver and Bochel – the talented teenager looking for an F1 spot.
Vassell: I don't have to balance, I'm lucky to have two contenders (to compete in the future). At the same time, the performance of both of them is also very good at present!