With the world's fastest formula racing cars, star drivers and tens of thousands of racing enthusiasts all gathering at the Shanghai International Circuit over the weekend, the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix returns in style after a five-year wait since 2019.

世界上最快的方程式赛车、顶级车手与数以万计的赛车迷们在这个周末齐聚一堂，共同见证了上海国际赛车场盛况空前的场面。一级方程式中国大奖赛在历经五年的翘首以盼后，终于再次闪耀回归。

The race weekend in Shanghai started on Friday, when the first practice and sprint qualifying were staged. Although the sprint race and the final race will be held on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, the Shanghai International Circuit was already crowded with fans and media representatives. And many of them are there for Zhou Guanyu, China's first F1 driver, who will compete at home for the first time.

从周五开始，上海站的比赛周末便拉开了帷幕，首次练习赛和冲刺排位赛相继进行。虽然冲刺赛和决赛分别安排在周六和周日，但上海国际赛车场早已人声鼎沸，车迷和媒体代表们纷纷涌来。其中，许多人是专程为见证中国首位F1车手周冠宇在家门口的首秀而来。

"Shanghai is my home and the circuit was the start of my dream. As a Shanghai native, competing at home as an F1 driver means very much to me. It has a more special meaning for me than competing in any another Grand Prix in foreign countries. I just hope I can show my best performance and meet all the expectations of the fans," said Zhou, who now drives for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber along with teammate Valtteri Bottas from Finland.

“上海是我的家，这条赛道是我梦想的起点。”周冠宇满怀感慨地说，“作为上海人，能在家门口参加F1比赛对我而言意义非凡。这比在国外参加任何大奖赛都更让我心潮澎湃。我只希望自己能发挥出最佳水平，不辜负车迷们的期待。”如今，他与来自芬兰的队友Valtteri Bottas一同效力于世界一级方程式锦标赛（F1）的Kick索伯车队。

Zhou is finally making his debut at the Shanghai International Circuit as an F1 driver, because he only started his F1 career in 2022. The Chinese GP has not been on the F1 calendar since 2019, when F1 staged its 1,000th GP in China.

2022年，周冠宇正式开启了自己的F1职业生涯，终于以F1车手的身份首次亮相于上海国际赛车场。自2019年F1在中国举办第1000站GP以来，中国站一直缺席于F1赛历。如今，这一空缺终于得以填补。

"It's amazing of course to have the opportunity finally to race at home. I've been missing that over the last two seasons when I started my career in Formula 1," Zhou said ahead of the first practice.

“终于有机会在家门口比赛了，这真的让人难以置信。”周冠宇在首次练习赛前激动地说，“过去的两个赛季，当我开始我的F1职业生涯时，我一直渴望着这样的机会。”

"It's great to be back, great to see all the track facilities where I used to be on the other side of the circuit here, in the grandstands watching, being a fan of F1 and then coming back here as an F1 driver.

“能再次回到这里，看到熟悉的赛道设施，我感到非常高兴。”他继续道，“曾经，我站在看台上，作为F1的粉丝为比赛欢呼；如今，我以F1车手的身份站在这里，这种感觉真是难以言喻。”

"I can't wait, and of course there will be a lot of mixed emotions going through the weekend. I want to treat it as much as a normal race weekend, but I'm sure that there will be plenty of supporters coming throughout the weekend."

这个周末对周冠宇而言充满了期待与紧张。“我已经迫不及待想要投入比赛了，但心情也很复杂。”他坦言，“我会尽量把它当作一个普通的比赛周末来对待，但我知道，整个周末都会有很多支持者前来为我加油。

This year's edition also marks the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Grand Prix, since the event's debut in China in 2004, when Zhou cheered in the stands as a young boy for his idol F1 world champion Fernando Alonso.

今年正值中国大奖赛的20周年纪念。自2004年首次在中国举办以来，这项赛事便备受瞩目。当年，年仅6岁的周冠宇在看台上为偶像F1世界冠军Fernando Alonso欢呼，如今他已成为赛道上的主角。

"It was the first time that I saw Alonso's car in front of me with my own eyes. I was 6 and I saw Alonso win the Chinese GP that year. My mother and I put his posters all over my bedroom. I remember when I still competed in go-karting, my helmet was just like the one that he wore. And when I was a test driver, I tested his car. There were so many mixed feelings, and everything was just unimaginable," said Zhou.

“那是我第一次亲眼看到Fernando Alonso的赛车驰骋在赛道上。”周冠宇回忆道，“我和妈妈把他的海报贴满了我的卧室。我还记得，当我参加卡丁车比赛时，我戴的头盔就和他的一模一样。后来，作为试车手，我还有幸测试过他的赛车。那种心情真的难以用言语表达。”

All tickets for this year's Chinese GP were sold out in a few minutes when they opened for booking in January.

今年中国大奖赛的门票在开放预订后短短几分钟内便一抢而空，足见这项赛事的火爆程度。

Since the debut of the F1 Chinese GP in Shanghai, the event has proved to be a great hit. During the three-day event 20 years ago in 2004, more than 260,000 visitors came to the Shanghai International Circuit, while more than 150,000 people were at the circuit on the final racing day. And five years ago in 2019, a total of about 160,000 people came to see the Chinese GP over three days.

自F1中国站在上海首次亮相以来，便一直备受车迷们的热爱与追捧。20年前的2004年，为期三天的赛事吸引了超过26万名游客前来观战；而在五年前的2019年，也有约16万人涌入赛车场共襄盛举。

编辑 | ETTBL商务英语翻译

翻译｜Romola