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.

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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