During his debut season, Zhou Guanyu found himself at the center of heavy criticism following the circumstances around his inclusion on the F1 grid. This year, the Chinese driver had to face speculations once again, this time around his future in F1, given he only signed a one-year deal with Alfa Romeo last year. Speaking to Motorsport in an interview, Zhou detailed how he deals with the negativity around him by not giving a “s**t.”
“I don’t give a s**t about it, to be honest! It is like all the other crazy stuff I got when I first signed my contract.”, stated Zhou.
Back in his debut season, people speculated that he only secured an F1 seat because someone paid for it. However, when the time came, Zhou proved to everyone that he won the seat on merit as he secured an impressive 10th-place finish in his debut race in Bahrain.
Now, when the time came for a potential contract extension in 2023, the doubters emerged once again, stating a ‘lack of financial backing’ was the primary cause behind the delay in the extension, giving a nod to the earlier talks of him securing a seat in F1 by paying for it.
However, Zhou revealed the delay in extension resulted from the lack of ironing out of little details and “politics.” The Chinese driver is staying on alongside Valtteri Bottas at the Sauber outfit for 2024 on a $2 million annual salary.
Performing well was always the only option for Zhou Guanyu
When he first entered the sport, Zhou knew the only way for him to earn the respect of the F1 world was to perform well. Hence, he decided to let people say whatever they wanted, and instead of replying to them with words, the Alfa Romeo driver would respond to them out on the track, putting in one impressive performance after another. “I was like, ‘I will just let it flow. I will make sure I do the talking on track, making sure people respect why I’m here.'”
Apart from being the only Chinese F1 driver in history, the 24-year-old was also the only debutant on the grid in 2022. Despite an impressive debut, Zhou had to face tough times throughout the season, including a severe crash in Silverstone, where his car flipped over and hurtled through the gravel trap.
Following an 18th-place finish in 2022, Zhou reciprocated his performance from last year, scoring 6 points once again and finishing in 18th place. The former Alpine academy driver has done the hard yards and will probably look to stay in F1 for the long haul. However, with talents like Theo Pourchaire in the Sauber wings, things may get tricky for Zhou.
