Photo: Ferrari
Ferrari’s recent?Chinese recruit Guanyu Zhou had his first experience of a single-seater on Wednesday when he tested an Italian F4 car at Fiorano.
15-year-old Zhou joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in June after winning European and British titles in the Rotax Max Junior class of karting in 2013.
Driving one of Prema Powerteam’s new Tatuus-Abarth cars, Zhou completed 57 laps of the Ferrari test track, starting in wet conditions but ending the day in the dry.
?I was a bit nervous this morning, as it was my first time in a single-seater and the track had a lot of water on it, but then it all went well and it felt fantastic,” he said.
“It?s completely different to a kart. You have to try and adapt your driving style to it in a hurry and get used to much higher speeds. The Prema team and the engineers from the Academy followed my every step and taught me a lot and I?m really grateful.”
FDA chief Luca Baldisserri said: ?Despite the fact this was his first time and the conditions difficult, today Guanyu made no mistakes and proved he could adapt to the car in a very short space of time. For the Ferrari Driver Academy, the arrival of a Chinese driver represents a new challenge and is definitely the start of an exciting adventure.?
Zhou’s fellow FDA racer Lance Stroll currently leads the standings in the first ever season of Italian F4, driving for Prema.