Renault development driver Guanyu Zhou is putting F1 miles under his belt, the Chinese driver enjoying several outings recently onboard a 2017-spec R.S.17.
Zhou - who currently stands sixth in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with UNI-Virtuosi Racing - tested Renault's R.S.17 for the first time at Paul Ricard back in June.
The 20-year-old then enjoyed a full day of running at the Red Bull Ring later that month before his third run in the car which took place on Wednesday in Barcelona, according to a report from Motorsport.com.
As the first driver from mainland China to drive a hybrid F1 car, Zhou represents his country's best opportunity of seeing one of its own reach F1, a prospect backed by Renault.
©Renault
"We have a very clear sporting target for Zhou and we think he has the ability to be one of the best - if not the best - rookies in F2," Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.
"So far he has had a very strong season, maybe apart from Baku, which is a difficult track for certain conditions. Every other single race, he has delivered in according to his target.
"For the rest, he has the opportunities to drive an F1 car with us. But his focus has to be what he has to do in his own championship."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Mercedes technical director James Allison arrived in Barcelona last week bracing for chaos – and…
Max Verstappen has made one thing crystal clear about life after Formula 1: don’t expect…
Williams has officially pulled the wraps off the striking new look of its 2026 Formula…
Aston Martin’s new-era Formula 1 challenger has barely turned a wheel in anger, yet it…
On this day in 2006, the newly-christened Midland F1 Racing team unveiled its first car…
Haas has added a fresh splash of Australian flair to its 2026 F1 plans, snapping…