After a promising rookie season and a reasonable 2023 campaign, Zhou Guanyu has struggled this year. He has failed to match the efforts of teammate Valtteri Bottas this season, especially in qualifying. Unless there is a dramatic change of events, Zhou is unlikely to find a place on next year’s grid.
F1 News: Zhou unlikely to secure 2025 deal
Zhou’s chances fade
Sauber are one of the only teams without a confirmed driver line-up for next year.
Despite announcing the signing of Nico Hulkenberg several months ago, the Swiss-based outfit are yet to decide who will drive alongside him.
In the early stages of the season, it could have been plausibly suggested that Zhou was in contention.
After all, with Sauber’s initial targets (Sainz and Ocon) no longer available, the team could pursue continuity in their line-up.
However, the gap between Zhou and Bottas has widened throughout 2024. Even if the Hinwil-based team retains one of their current drivers, it is understood that Zhou will not be selected.
To his credit, the 25-year-old has delivered a few solid performances this year. His SQ3 performance on home soil in Shanghai is arguably the highlight of his season.
He also produced a very strong drive to finish 11th in Bahrain, narrowly missing out on the points.
Unfortunately for Zhou, these moments are anomalies in what can be described as a disappointing season.
Bottas and Bortoleto compete for the second seat
As it stands, two drivers are seen as favourites to secure the second seat at Sauber.
The first is Valtteri Bottas, who has already spoken with newly-appointed CTO Mattia Binotto about the future. Owing to his experience, speed and respectable results in the largely uninspiring C44, Sauber are considering extending his contract.
However, a key issue for the Finn could be contract length. Bottas would prefer a multi-year agreement, but as the team continues its transitional phase before officially becoming Audi, committing to the 35-year-old on a long-term deal could be difficult.
If the former Mercedes driver wants to stay on the grid, he will likely have to make compromises in contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto is also on the Hinwil squad’s radar. The Brazilian driver, who is represented by Fernando Alonso, has potential that Audi could be open to developing.
This is especially true since the team could struggle for performance in 2025 and even 2026.
As seen with Franco Colapinto’s almost immediate impact on Williams, Bortoleto could facilitate a boost in sponsorship for the team.
To be clear, the team has not made a decision. Still, all indications suggest that Zhou is essentially out of the running for a new deal.
