Zhou Guanyu gave a somewhat better account of himself in his second season in Formula 1 alongside Valtteri Bottas last year. However that modest progress has not continued this year and, at a team which will replace at least one of its drivers next year, it’s hard to make a case for them to continue with Zhou.
Bottas’ one-lap pace has been consistently better than his team mate’s. Although the gap narrowed slightly last year Zhou has usually ended up behind this year.Zhou’s race performances were markedly stronger last year, and in this respect he is continuing to perform fairly well against his more experienced team mate. However both drivers face the same problem that the Sauber has seldom if ever been a points contender.
The team is working hard to fix this and over the previous two races Bottas has had the benefit of the latest components. Once the pair converge on specifications we may finally see the two vivid green cars in the hunt for points.
Whether Zhou can make the step from there to deliver the kind of results he needs remains to be seen. But on the strength of his performances so far this year he appears to have plateaued slightly below the level a team would want.
That’s a troubling situation for him, as Sauber has already inked a deal with Nico Hulkenberg for next year. That means its current drivers are vying for the single remaining seat, and so far Zhou looks like the one most likely to miss out.
Bottas vs Zhou: Season summary
Bottas vs Zhou: Race-by-race
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Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Negative value: Bottas was faster; Positive value: Guanyu was faster
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Kiran
2nd August 2024, 17:18
Bottas was ahead at Monaco. I think you made a mistake
Nick T.
2nd August 2024, 23:04
Zhou looked so much better in F2 than F1, but then again he was at a really good F2 team (despite being spec cars, some teams really nail the setup and it makes a huge difference).
d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
3rd August 2024, 8:23
Did he really look better in F2? Statistically he has the worst junior Formula record of any rookie in recent years. That’s why I expected him to do a lot worse than he eventually did in his rookie F1 season.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
5th August 2024, 22:35
He was very good at making the alternate tyre strategy work, as in go long on hards then come through the field on softs. But he had to do a lot of overtaking to make this work and was very good at it.
Now he is in the worst car with the the worst aero that he just cannot trust to stick to the track when he pushes. See Hungary for an example of him trying to push – somewhat successful to finish 5th in FP1 and then coming unstuck in FP2 when he was a couple of hundred metres behind another but the aero gave up.
He now just plays it safe and hopes to get to the finish without damaging the car.
Nick T.
2nd August 2024, 23:13
Bottas has put in perfectly cromulent drives and his noble mullet embiggens the smallest teams. He’s irreplaceable.
Apples
3rd August 2024, 3:44
Red Bull should have signed Bottas instead of Perez.
He wouldn’t match Verstappen, but would be a much better qualifier that Perez. A far more consistent deliverer on Sundays and a proven team player. Would be perfect for Red Bull.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd August 2024, 11:53
Bottas is doing what he can with this absolute disaster of a car. At least for 2025 there’s no better option. Maybe Pourchaire or Maloney could be interesting but I don’t think they will. And anyway, putting a rookie up against the Hulk unless he’s a Piastri level gem could be soul crushing for the rookie. Just ask Gutierrez and Palmer. And not only for the rookies. I’m sure Sainz had more important reasons for not signing with Audi but I’m also sure the memory of having his behind handed to him on a plate by the Hulk at Renault has crossed his mind. And the fear for his reputation, if he does again.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
3rd August 2024, 14:33
I don’t believe Hulkenberg is in any way connected to Sainz’s decision. If anything, looking how he’s been faring at McLaren and Ferrari I’d be surprised if Hulkenberg wasn’t comprehensively beaten by Carlos. But it’s all opinions.
Edvaldo
3rd August 2024, 15:14
Sainz didn’t went for Audi because he’s expecting it to be what everyone else is : a manufacturer renting Sauber for a few years then withdrawing completely.
It make senses for Hulkenberg, a true F1 worker, signing a deal with a works team that’s likely better than most he had in his career, but Sainz wants a taste of success. He’s not placing his chips on Williams, he’ll likely be out of there in two years. Audi would hardly allow that.
Nick T.
6th August 2024, 17:16
Precisely, Ed. The reasons (all of which you listed) seem pretty obvious to me. It’s odd more don’t see it.
BTW, I doubt there would be much between Hulk and Sainz.
Nick T.
6th August 2024, 17:18
“Sainz is one of the best in F1” many claim, but at the same time got smashed by Hulk who in turn was smashed by Ricciardo.
Janith
3rd August 2024, 12:30
Bottas is literally destroying Zhou this year. Easily the most underrated driver in 2024.