I got a message out of the blue this week from Patrick McEnroe – the former US Davis Cup captain turned ESPN commentator and, yes, brother of John – to go on his Holding Court podcast to talk about tennis and China, plus everything in between. It was a lot of fun – you can find that episode here (and see the video clip below). Just days earlier, I had the chance to talk to Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu on my own China Sports Insider Podcast – and he had a lot to say (full show blurb below). We also talked on the show about China losing its hosting rights to the 2023 Asian Cup – and see some of my comments I made on the topic to Reuters here.
Tag Archives: F1
Rudi Ying Hits Out at Teammates, System in Explosive Interview
Happy Easter – and I have a real treat for you today! If you’ve been reading this site for a year or more, there’s a good chance you saw the Frostbitten piece, which revealed for the first time quite how chaotic things were in the world of Chinese ice hockey. [It’s a good primer in terms of some of the background, but much has changed since then].
After I published the piece, then-captain of the Chinese squad Rudi Ying reached out to me to share some of his thoughts and concerns – his mother had seen the piece in one of the parent ice hockey groups she was in – and we’ve kept in regular touch since . I finally got the chance to sit down with him in person this week and the podcast below was, well, explosive. Rudi went on the record for the first time about his teammates, the divisions in the Chinese camp leading up the Olympics, his own failings as a player, his frustrations with the Chinese system and a whole lot more. I could write pages on this, but I’ll spare you – just listen to the podcast! Full blurb underneath the podcast player:
Last chance to get the Easter week discount for Sporting Superpower – click here!
Continue reading Rudi Ying Hits Out at Teammates, System in Explosive Interview
Stunning F1 Debut for Zhou Guanyu Sparks Talk of Shanghai GP Return in 2022
In the latest episode of the China Sports Insider Podcast, we talk to Italian race engineer and team manager turned series promoter Davide de Gobbi, arguably one of the most influential people in Asian motorsports. Chances are that if you attended or watched a China-based racing series over the past 15 years, de Gobbi had something to do with it. I’ve been commentating on motorsports events that he’s put on since 2013, including the 2021 Asian F3 Championship, won by none other than new F1 star Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou’s past, present and future fills much of the show, as well as the compelling argument that his stunning start to his F1 career – in the points on his debut in Bahrain last weekend – lends weight to rescheduling the Shanghai Grand Prix (cancelled in 2020-22 due to COVID-19) for late September this year, now that there is an empty spot on the calendar, due to the removal of the Russian GP. Full show blurb below.
Hockey Drama and Steph Hsiao Talks NFL in China
Episode 10 of the China Sports Insider Podcast is another packed show, in which we tackle tennis, F1, and ice hockey, plus hear from Steph Hsiao about the NFL in China.
This coming Monday, December 6, should see some sort of announcement over the make-up of the Chinese men’s Olympic ice hockey team for Beijing 2022 – as well as a final decision on whether or not China will get kicked out and replaced by Norway. After literally years of wrangling over the citizenship issue – i.e. how to recruit foreign-born players for Team China – sources from inside the camp indicate that this decision is coming right down to the wire. Simply put, some players are more comfortable signing away their existing citizenship in exchange for a Chinese passport than others – but the exact make-up of the roster could dramatically affect how China fares against the NHL’s best next February. Listen to the show directly on the player below or go to our landing page on SupChina here. It’s also available on all the usual podcast sites (search “China Sports Insider Podcast”).
Continue reading Hockey Drama and Steph Hsiao Talks NFL in China
Introducing: Second Gear
As the first of a new series of podcasts (and, soon, videocasts/TV shows) that I’ll be hosting with Sean Henshelwood, Second Gear aims to be an unvarnished look at the Asian motorsport scene. For all the undoubted opportunities of the Asian market, it sometimes feels like the sport doesn’t get out of second gear – hence the name – so in addition to all the latest news and analysis, we’ll also be talking about what needs to be done to take the sport to the next level.
Issues discussed on this episode include:
- Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix:
- Reaction to the race
- Ricciardo’s formative years racing in Asia
- Liberty Media’s plans for a second Chinese race:
- The issues with building a sustainable track in China capable of holding an F1 race
- How soon could this realistically happen?
- Fernando Alonso announces plans to build 40 go kart tracks in China over the next five years:
- Is it achievable?
- Can it produce China’s first F1 star?
[Photo credit above: 6th GEAR]
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Xi to stay on, Wanda to get out, Tmall turns to F1 and more Milan misery
Here’s a summary of what you can find in my weekly China Digest for SportBusiness:
Continue reading Xi to stay on, Wanda to get out, Tmall turns to F1 and more Milan misery
F1 in China: a view from the fans
Following the recent Chinese F1 Grand Prix in Shanghai, won in controversial circumstances by Lewis Hamilton, China Sports Insider spoke to two fans who had been at the race to get their thoughts.
Zhu Xiaoya, 18, is college student who has been following F1 and other motor sports (including GP3) on TV for two years. She traveled from Beijing to Shanghai for the race with her cousin, Peng Wen, a 24-year-old market research analyst, who is a long-time sports fan, but new to F1. Both were attending their first Grand Prix. Continue reading F1 in China: a view from the fans
Weekly Wrap: F1 F-up, Becks is back, Ding’s title bid and Perfect Pitch
The World Snooker Championships have begun in Sheffield, UK, with world number 2 Ding Junhui looking to add the only major title missing from his resume. Having won five ranking tournaments already this season, he continued his good form, taking a 6-3 lead over Michael Wasley in their best-of-19 first round match, and making the highest break of the tournament so far (136). Continue reading Weekly Wrap: F1 F-up, Becks is back, Ding’s title bid and Perfect Pitch
F1赛事想在中国扎根很难
2014年4月18日，上海将连续11年迎来F1大奖赛赛事，但是无论赛事本身会发生什么，这都有一种似曾相识的感觉。
China’s F1 antipathy a constant in season of flux
Formula 1 is a state of flux right now. Aside from all the massive rule changes for this season, Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali quit this week, there’s due to be a new US-based team from 2015 and three of the existing teams are reported to be meeting in Shanghai on Thursday to discuss how to make their engines louder, after those new regulations sucked some of the noise out of the sport.
But the one constant that remains is China’s antipathy to Grand Prix racing. The race at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday will be the 11th consecutive Chinese Grand Prix held there, with current or former world champions winning eight out of the previous 10 races. But after the initial buzz, reality set in.
Here are some of the problems:
Continue reading China’s F1 antipathy a constant in season of flux