Ready, steady... Zhou!

Chinese ace Zhou Guanyu is primed to go full-throttle as he puts the foot down on his Formula 1 ambitions.

The 20-year-old was last week named Renault's test driver for the coming season in an appointment regarded as a huge step toward realizing his dream of becoming China's first-ever F1 driver.

Zhou, who signed with the Renault Sport Academy in January 2019 and has already gained some F1 experience as a development driver, earned the test-drive spot following an impressive debut season in Formula 2 last year. He replaces F2 rival Jack Aitken, who has left to become Williams' reserve driver.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Zhou was understandably excited about the prospect of spending more time behind the wheel of an F1 car.

"It's no doubt significant progress for me, which will give me more chances to drive Formula 1 cars," said Zhou at his preseason training camp in Spain.

"That also means I have more time to work with and fit in a Formula 1 team. That shows that the previous year of cooperation between Renault and I was great, which produced very positive results and mutual trust.

"This new role brings me closer to Formula 1, but that won't change my priority this year, which is to have another great Formula 2 season."

Beating the high standards he set last term won't be easy. Zhou finished seventh overall to claim F2's best rookie title in a superb debut campaign that included five podiums and one pole position.

Those results took even Zhou by surprise.

"There was good and there was bad in 2019, but I believe overall the result was positive," said the Shanghai native. "I never expected that I could adjust to the Formula 2 car, the pace of the race and tires that fast.

"I also never thought that I could stand on the podium that many times and win one pole position. Looking back on the last year, I certainly have some things to improve on. So I hope all this can motivate me to improve this year.

"My goal is to try to finish in the top three or even try to fight to become the F2 world champion."

Being Renault's development driver for the past year has given Zhou an invaluable insight into how an F1 team operates. That position involved driving the team's simulator and participating in engineering briefings, making him the first driver from China to fill a Formula 1 role with a manufacturer team.

His responsibilities as test driver, however, will be more demanding, requiring greater communication and data-sharing with the team as it fine-tunes preparations for race days.

Zhou said that Renault has given him "much help and resources" as he prepares to immerse himself in F1's pressure-cooker environment.

"Compared with Formula 2, a Formula 1 team is much bigger. There are more support staff around the driver," he explained. "After all, this is not a one-man fight. A great Formula 1 team requires great teamwork."

It was the great Fernando Alonso in his Renault heyday that ignited an 8-year-old Zhou's F1 passion as the Spaniard zoomed around the Shanghai circuit during the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in 2004.Zhou's latest racing hero is Renault's exciting Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, a seven-time F1 grand prix winner.

"My idol was Alonso and now it's Ricciardo," said Zhou. "Both of them are role models for me to learn from. My dream has never changed since the very beginning－which is to become a real Formula 1 driver."

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton may still dominate F1 but the emergence of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who have already stood on F1's highest podium, suggest the new breed are catching up fast on the Briton.

Zhou will one day hope to be on their tails too, and he said of the two 22-year-olds: "The young drivers are now producing high-level performances in Formula 1 and they are both great drivers."

Last year, Zhou took Renault's F1 car for a spin around downtown Shanghai as part of the pre-race entertainment for the Chinese Grand Prix. This year's GP has been postponed because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, and Zhou had a special message for those affected by the epidemic back home.

"I want to send my best wishes and the most sincere thanks to all the people who are fighting against the coronavirus," said Zhou. "It's sad to hear that the Chinese Grand Prix this year has been postponed. But what matters more is everyone's health.

"All in all, stay strong Wuhan and stay strong China!"