With most seats for the 2025 season already filled, Zhou Guanyu’s time in F1 may be coming to an end. Reflecting on his journey, Zhou shed light on the racism he has faced in the sport, which inspired the 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, to come out strongly in support of the Chinese driver.
In an interview with The Race, Zhou recalled how he was dubbed a pay driver when he joined the F1 grid in 2022 because of his nationality. The Sauber driver pointed out that he had had four wins in F2, and finished P3 in the championship the year before he got to F1.
The wounds appear to have been reopened by fans celebrating the upcoming arrival in F1 of Oliver Bearman, even though the Briton is not even in the top 10 of the F2 standings this year.
Hill stepped in to condemn the racial abuse Zhou had to deal with. He wrote on his Instagram story, “Abuse is enabled by social media. Most of those doing the abusing are miserable cowards who wouldn’t dare say such things to one’s face. To pick on a young person is bullying. I hate bullies.”
Hill further added that Zhou had made his mark in F1 and that he would realize the same in a few years.
Zhou’s F1 stint was not horrible by any means. But because of limited resources at his disposal, there were no standout performances. What further hurt him was his inability to keep up with teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou’s struggles in F1
Zhou never drove a car that was capable of competing for points regularly, but somehow, Bottas fared a lot better. In 2022, the Finn scored 49 points, compared to Zhou’s six, as Alfa Romeo (former name for Sauber) finished P6 in the standings.
In 2023, Zhou scored just six points again. But this time Bottas – who was driving an identical car – also fell off, as he ended the campaign with just 10 points. Yet, Bottas got preferential treatment at Sauber, and the team decided to consider him for a seat in 2025.
Zhou, who was particularly strong in the junior formulas, never got the chance to make it big in F1. He did help F1 expand its fanbase in the Chinese market, but unfortunately for him, that might not be enough to keep him in F1.
His patience with a sub-par Alfa Romeo/Sauber outfit may go in vain, as the Hinwil-based team looks unlikely to offer him a new contract, with an impending takeover by Audi in the offing.
