The Formula 1 (F1) Chinese Grand Prix (中国大奖赛) 2024 took place in Shanghai in April. Zhou Guanyu, 25, was there. He is China’s first F1 racer (赛车手). He could not hide his joy and pride as this was his first time to race at home. His team is Alfa Romeo. In an interview, Zhou Guanyu talked about what made a great F1 racer.

A good racer must have a good body. Even though racers look still, their bodies are going through hard tests during races. Zhou does a lot of work on his neck. This is because the head and helmet become five times heavier when braking (刹车) and speeding up, according to the Motorsport Technology website. “You can see my neck getting thicker these years,” said Zhou.

F1 drivers like Zhou need to react (反应) quickly. F1 racers usually react to things in 100 milliseconds (毫秒), reported Motorsport Technology. That is two times faster than normal people. “Racing with the world’s top F1 drivers tests not only my driving skills but also my mind and reaction speed,” he told Hongxing News.

Speed is so important for a great racer. Besides driving skills, fast speed comes from the car itself. Zhou had trouble with his car at the Hungarian Grand Prix 2023. But he raced in April with a new car and better tires (轮胎), expecting to show his skills.

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Most of us feel younger or older than we really are. This “subjective age” is simply based on the way we feel inside. Scientists find that “subjective age” is the key to understanding why some people appear to be energetic as they age—while others do not. What’s more, studies have shown that you really are only as old as you feel in some real ways.

One interesting study has discovered our subjective age is connected with our personality. It is now well-accepted that people tend to become less open to new experiences while ageing. However, such personality changes are less pronounced in people with a younger heart and more noticeable in people with older subjective ages. Moreover, people with younger subjective ages become more careful and make fewer mistakes. But the connection between health and subjective age almost certainly acts in both directions; If you often feel upset, you are likely to feel older; The result could be a vicious cycle (恶性循环). In this way, the effect of subjective age on health is stronger than that of actual age.

When do we start to feel that our minds and bodies are running on different timescales? And why does it happen? One study finds that most children and teenagers feel older than they really are. But this changes at around 26, when 70% of them would feel younger. Some researchers argue that a lower subjective age is a form of self-defense. Believing “I may be 65 but I only feel 50” would mean you are less worried about your performance at work, for example. This thinking helps people free themselves from the society’s sad view of ageing.

With these findings, it is possible that in the future, science might be able to reduce people’s subjective age and improve their health as a result.

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