Uncompetitive car making it hard to show the gains I’ve made, says Zhou · RaceFans

Zhou Guanyu says he has not been able to demonstrate how his abilities have developed in his third season in F1 due to the performance of his car.

The Sauber pilot and team mate Valtteri Bottas are the only drivers to have contested every race without scoring a point so far this year.

Zhou is fighting to secure the final spot on the grid for 2025, the second seat at Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg, facing opposition from Bottas and outsiders including Gabriel Bortoleto.

He currently sits 21st in the championship standings, ahead of Bottas courtesy of his 11th-place finish in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Asked if he feels he’s been given a fair opportunity to display his abilities in the Sauber this season, Zhou replied: “For sure not – it’s been real tough.”

The team started the year with a more competitive car, said Zhou, but missed out on points-scoring opportunities due to a series of slow pit stops.

“I still remember – because it felt a lot better – the first few races of the season. Of course, we struggled with other things – in the pits – but the car was actually performing quite competitively together with the people around the midfield battle.

“You really felt you could show what you have gained or what experience you have learned over the course of two-and-a-half years. You are getting better experience, better knowledge with everything and also get more understanding about what you need to go quicker. But then in that period right now it’s quite difficult, of course, to accept as a driver.”

Zhou says that even when opportunities to make an impression at the rear of the field are limited, he is battling to show that he deserves to remain on the grid in 2025.

“I think you do the best you can,” he said. “You’re out in Q1 or you are just struggling to get through that. And sometimes you’re missing like half a tenth, sometimes you are missing like half a second to the cut-off, which is difficult to explain exactly purely on driving. So it’s a tough season, but you’ve only got what you have.

“I’m still trying to give everything I got for the remaining races. I care about my future, I care about wanting to stay here as long as I can. So I’m fighting for that and the opportunity is still there. So I’m just trying to keep my head down.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free