Alfa Romeo

Zhou left HANGING on inside Alfa Romeo amid Bottas influence

Alfa Romeo pair take on nerve-racking 'Start Stop Challenge'

Anna Malyon

Monday 14 August 2023 15:57

Zhou Guanyu was left clinging on inside an Alfa Romeo as him and Valtteri Bottas took part in a nerve-racking yet hilarious ‘Start Stop Challenge’.

The challenge rules were simple, correctly answer a question about your team-mate, and you earn the right to occupy the driver’s seat.

Amidst the rain-soaked Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Bottas playfully attempted to startle Zhou by jokingly wobbling the driver’s wheel.

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But while Bottas appeared relatively clam when he was driven by Zhou, the Chinese star was left holding on to a handle above the car window as Bottas seemed to cheekily enjoy putting his team-mate through a bit of discomfort.

Childhood Heroes

Both Alfa Romeo drivers were subsequently posed with the question, “Who was your childhood racing hero?”

Bottas correctly answered that Zhou’s childhood racing hero was none other than fellow Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso.

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Zhou has been very open about Alonso being his idol, saying previously he finds it ‘strange’ to now compete against someone who he has long admired.

“It’s quite strange, a weird feeling to be fair,” Zhou said speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast. Hearing all these legendary names like [Lewis] Hamilton, [Max] Verstappen, Alonso and then, now, it just feels like another driver. Back then, it felt very special and seeing them go past, it’s hard to describe the feeling inside yourself.”

Similar to his team-mate, Zhou correctly answered that Bottas’s childhood racing hero was fellow Finnish and two-time world champion, Mika Hakkinen.

Earlier this year Bottas teamed up with Hakkinen for Team Finland in the 2023 Race of Champions.

“If I had been told as a child that I would drive with Mika one day, it would have been pretty crazy because he was my big hero,” Bottas said speaking to Motorsport.com. “I looked up to him. Being on the team with this legend is pretty cool.”

The duo concluded the challenge with a tie, claiming that it was a level playing field, showing the mutual respect shared between the two Alfa Romeo drivers.