Zhou, who became the first Chinese driver to compete in F1 full-time, scored six points on his way to 18th in the standings.
Autosport readers voted Zhou the best rookie of 2022, ahead of Toyota’s World Endurance champion Ryo Hirakawa, IndyCar podium finisher Christian Lundgaard and F2 race winner Logan Sargeant.
Zhou’s success was announced on 4 December at the Autosport Awards at Grosvenor House on Park Lane.
Zhou, who was presented the award by Red Bull F1 team boss Christian Horner, said in a recorded video: “Hi guys, as you can see I just won Rookie of the Year, thanks to everyone who supported me and voted for me. I’ve been battling through the year, it has been a tricky year, but I’ve had great support from the track and from fans at home, so thank you all very much.”
Previous winners of the award, which is open to professional racing drivers in their first season in their respective categories, include Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
Other categories decided by fan voting include International Racing Driver of the Year presented by Pirelli, International Rally Driver of the Year, British Competition Driver of the Year, International Racing Car of the Year presented by Blink Experience, Rally Car of the Year, National Driver of the Year and Esports Driver of the Year presented by Motorsport Games.
Further awards, decided by expert judging panels, include the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, the Gold Medal for lifetime legacy, the Gregor Grant Award for lifetime achievement, Motorsport Promoter of the Year, and Esports Team of the Year presented by Motorsport Games. Moment of the Year presented by Bang & Olufsen and Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future are awards that have returned for 2022.
To find out who our other Award winners are, go to autosport.com/awards
