Zhou Guanyu on trying to salvage his F1 career, Sauber’s 2024 struggles – and why losing his seat WOULDN’T be the end of the road

Zhou Guanyu has strongly defended his Formula 1 career, insisting he is far from at the end of his career even if Sauber fires him this year.

The 25-year-old Chinese driver is one of four drivers on the grid who has yet to score a point in the 2024 season and is currently locked in a desperate battle with team-mate Valtteri Bottas to secure the only remaining seat for next season.

While it appears that Bottas is the most likely candidate to partner Nico Hulkenberg in the new team led by Mattia Binotto, Zhou is combative and believes he has what it takes to continue at the top level.

“I feel like I can show a lot more to the paddock, to Formula 1,” he told Mail Sport from Sauber’s HQ in Switzerland. “If I don’t have a seat, I don’t think the end is near… I still have the chance to come back and I will keep working hard. At the moment I’m not thinking about what happens next.

‘In three years [in F1]I’ve experienced what a driver can experience in 10 years. I started with points on my debut, then I had four races with technical problems when I could have scored more points, a huge crash in Silverstone.

Zhou’s Sauber will be stuck at the back of the grid for most of the 2024 season

‘Last year P5 in qualifying, which was unbelievable, and then the race on Sunday I couldn’t get off the line. It was more of a rollercoaster ride than anything.

“The ups and downs ultimately make you a better driver. Hopefully I can just get everything right in the last few races. If I don’t stay, I’m sure I can still get better if the opportunity arises.”

Sauber is currently the only team in Formula 1 that has not yet managed to score a point between the two drivers in 2024. From above, the focus therefore seems to be strongly on the new era with Audi from 2026.

However, Zhou cannot afford to blink in the remaining eight races of the season as he will do everything he can to prove he deserves a place on the grid next year.

This was further complicated by the car’s shortcomings in the second half of the year, with performance falling well short of expectations – and indeed that of all its rivals.

“It was a very challenging season,” Zhou added. “In the first half we actually had a decent pace, but we had a lot of problems in the pit stops, which meant we lost a lot of points opportunities.

Zhou (right) and teammate Valtteri Bottas both battle for the final seat at Sauber

The Chinese driver has overcome many setbacks, including a huge crash at Silverstone

‘Now we are on the back foot in terms of the whole package and the development of the car, compared to the rest. It is the reality, we have to face it.

‘Of course you want your future to be secure and there is still a spot available in this team, so we are fighting for that.

‘At this time of year I just think about each individual race, giving everything I have and trying to improve my weak points.

‘For me it is not different from the previous two years anyway, because I have been a driver with an individual year contract. My feeling and mindset have not really changed much this year, but of course it is different when you know that you and your teammate both want that last seat, and we get along really well. You try to impress the team, and that is all you can do.’

If this is the end for China’s only Formula 1 driver in history, he will be leaving with memories to last a lifetime, having scored points on his debut and raced in front of a home crowd in Shanghai earlier this season.

During the race in April, Zhou wept on the track as he battled the emotions of representing his country of 1.41 billion people. When he talks about that day, the pride in his voice is clear.

Asked about his best moment in Formula 1, he says: ‘That has to be Shanghai, that has to be the Chinese Grand Prix. That feeling I had all weekend was so different from other circuits.

Zhou cries on the grid in Shanghai after racing in front of a home crowd for the first time

The young driver told Mail Sport he is ready to fight for a future in Formula 1

“It’s hard to explain what it felt like until you experience it yourself. The energy, the intensity, it was so high all weekend. My dream came true after 20 years, watching F1 in the stands as a kid.

‘You want to impress the people who support you, you don’t want to be at the back of the grid. I was top 10 in sprint qualifying, finished P9 in the sprint race and then finished 14th after starting further back. [in the race].

‘It was a beautiful moment, the audience was so special, everyone was screaming my name. I’ve never had this feeling in my life. I really dreamed about it and finally it happened.’

If he wants to do it again, Zhou will have to secure a seat for 2025.

Even though it’s unlikely, he’s doing everything he can to make it happen.