We are almost at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, but silly season is still unfolding. Today, it was announced that Sauber and Zhou Guanyu will be parting ways at the end of the season.
Early this morning, Kick Sauber announced that they will not be moving forward with either of the current drivers into the 2025 season. The Swiss team will be parting ways with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Whilst Zhou has had a silent few years in Formula 1, his presence has been a monumental one to the sport.
Guanyu Zhou, the first Chinese driver
Zhou was born in Shanghai in 1999 and since he was a child he has shown interest in the world of Motorsport. At the age of 8, he began racing with Karts, demonstrating an excellent mastery of the track. In 2008, he was awarded the title of “best young driver”.
He then arrived in Europe and in 2013 he began to make his mark by winning several trophies. Afterwards, he won the Rotax Max Euro Challenge in the Junior category for Strawberry Racing. He also came third in the category finals and finished 2nd in the Winter Cup. These victories attracted the attention of Ferrari, who welcomed him into the Ferrari’s young driver program in 2014.
Formula 4
In 2015 he made his debut in single-seaters, racing for Prema in the Italian Formula 4. He obtained 3 victories at Monza and 9 podiums in total, thus placing himself in second place in the general classification.
Formula 3
The excellent results obtained in his first year in Formula 4 allowed him to make a leap in category.
In the 2016 season, he moved to F3 Europe with the Metapark team. Zhou Guanyu finished his debut season in 13th position. In 2017 he continued the championship but with the PREMA team. He managed to lead an excellent season, with several points finishes including 5 podiums. The young Chinese driver completed the season in P8 in the championship standings..
Formula 2
In 2019 he made his debut in Formula 2, racing with the UNI-Virtuosi team. And on the Silverstone circuit, he earned his first pole position, becoming the first Chinese driver to do so. At the end of the season, he was awarded as best Rookie in the category.
Zhou Guanyu’s debut in Alfa Romeo
On November 16, 2021, Zhou Guanyu was announced as the race driver for the 2022 season with Alfa Romeo. He chose 24 as his race number in honour of Kobe Bryant, his sporting hero.
Zhou Guanyu thus became the first Chinese driver to ever take part in a Formula One Grand Prix. During his first year in Formula One, he led a few races without achieving great results, however. Very often defeated by his teammate Valtteri Bottas. During the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, Zhou’s renewal with the team for the 2023 season was made official. However, his career in Formula One did not last long. In fact, just today, the Sauber team announced the driver’s farewell.
A goodbye or a new beginning?
As the first Chinese driver in the sport, Zhou Guanyu endured three demanding seasons that tested his limits yet also brought personal growth. Despite this, they were 3 years of growth for him, in a rather competitive environment that pushes him to improve more and more.
One of his most significant moments was racing in Shanghai – a homecoming that held deep personal and cultural significance. After finishing his first home Grand Prix – the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix – in P14, he was given a special parking spot on the grid to celebrate the historic moment.
Guanyu Zhou’s story tells us the story of a boy, of sacrifices and compromises. Of opportunities that many in his place have never had and never will. His is the story of a boy who entered the world of Formula One on tiptoe, forced to endure the weight of expectations, media scrutiny, and unfortunately, instances of racial prejudice. The media and social pressure, that uncertainty that arose every year in understanding if he would have another opportunity. His is a story of also looking for luck, hoping to have a fairly competitive single-seater, capable of showing off his skills on the track. Unfortunately, however, perhaps luck was not on his side, giving him only a mediocre single-seater and many sacrifices to face.
In the eyes of this 24-year-old boy, we see a child who, as a child, stood in the stands of Shanghai watching the cars race, dreaming of one day joining the race. But we all know how cruel the world of Formula One can be. It is a world of uncertainty, of racing against time. And if you don’t keep up, if you don’t respect that speed, you’re out.
These years in Formula One have helped him grow, improve and live an unforgettable experience. But this chapter has not yet been closed and the future could bring many surprises.
