F1 News: Zhou Guanyu Opens Up On 2024 Milestone

Saajan Jogia | 20 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu of China (24) arrives for the Las Vegas Grand Prix drivers parade at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu has opened up on scoring his first point of the 2024 season by finishing a rather challenging and chaotic Qatar Grand Prix in eighth place. His first point also marks the team's first point of the year. Zhou described the achievement as a big "relief."

Considering Sauber's momentum throughout the year, it was anticipated that the team would pass the season without a point. The Hinwil outfit is undergoing several changes internally before it is taken over by Audi in 2026. As a result, the car's development throughout the year remained neglected.

However, the introduction of a new floor on the C44 F1 car in Las Vegas brought promising results, with Zhou achieving a 13th-place finish. While his teammate Valtteri Bottas also struggled through the season, the Qatar GP saw him miss out on a point after he finished 11th. Speaking on his four-point achievement, China's first full-time F1 driver told Sky Sports F1, as reported by Formula 1:

“It’s a relief, you know.

“I think happy is probably not the word, relief is the word. It’s been a long season – where we’ve come from at the beginning of the year, throughout the season, we never expected to have a car to fight for points.

“Since Vegas and this new package, I’ve just been a lot more comfortable. The whole team has just been there or thereabouts, and we were there today. It was a very intense race.

“It’s been a draining season for us, for me and Valtteri and the whole team. We knew coming into the weekend this was our best opportunity after our amazing Saturday performance.

“We wanted to show what we can do and today’s race, I think, was very clean and executed well. For everyone, there’s a lot of work that people don’t see behind the scenes – just continue to be there every weekend hoping something will be returned, and today’s the day.”

Zhou will conclude his final race with Sauber this weekend in Abu Dhabi, along with Bottas. Both drivers will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto in 2025. But Zhou looks forward to ending the season on a positive note and hopes for a return to the F1 grid in the future. He added:

“Nobody remembers your first race. Everybody remembers your last race so I wanted to enjoy as much as I could the remaining races for the team, and put myself in the best way possible leaving the grid for next year and waiting for a comeback.

“I will take every opportunity to come back for a seat. I’m sure when the chance is here I will do a much better job. Let’s see what the future brings, but try to enjoy the moment and show the paddock what I can do.”