After a dramatic collision with Fernando Alonso, Guanyu Zhou considered himself lucky to finish the Grand Prix. Both he and Valtteri Bottas ended the race well outside the points.
Stake F1 was largely absent in Austria, except when Fernando Alonso and Guanyu Zhou clashed on track.
On lap 21, the Aston Martin F1 driver rear-ended the Stake F1 car. Zhou had no warning and could do nothing to avoid the collision.
The FIA also criticised Fernando Alonso’s on-track behaviour. “The driver of car 14 [Alonso] attempted a very late overtaking manoeuvre on car 24 [Zhou] on the inside of turn three,” the FIA ruled.
“He was never in a position to have the right to the racing line and made contact with car 24 at the apex. The stewards determine that the driver of car 14 is wholly responsible.”
The Spaniard was found guilty of causing a collision with the Stake driver and received a two-point penalty. Alonso is now dangerously close to a suspension, with eight penalty points on his licence, and none will expire until March next year.
Four more points, and Fernando Alonso will be sidelined for a Grand Prix.
“What the hell is he doing?” yelled Guanyu Zhou over the radio immediately after the incident.
Reflecting on the scare later, Zhou said, “I was obviously watching a white car behind me, overtaking side by side in the corner. The next thing I saw was a green car, Fernando’s, trying to dive-bomb!”
“I think he was trying to race the guys overtaking me. He went too far and hit me. The car was quite damaged after that. I was lucky to be able to continue, to be honest.”
No points for Stake F1
Aside from this incident, the Stake cars lacked the pace to compete for points, unsurprisingly.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou finished 16th and 17th respectively.
“It was a tricky weekend for us,” responded Guanyu Zhou, who had started from the pits to bounce back in the race.
“Due to some setup changes that took us in a different direction, I had to start today’s race from the pit lane. Unfortunately, we lacked the pace to make up places, and it seems our tyres overheat faster than our competitors’ – though we managed this better today.”
“We know our weaknesses and need to work hard as a team – both on track and in Hinwil – to improve our one-lap and race pace. We have no time to rest ahead of next weekend. Performance often varies from track to track, so I hope we’ll be closer to the points fight at Silverstone.”
Finishing 16th, Valtteri Bottas surprisingly found positives in his Sunday.
“Despite everything, I think this race was our best session of the weekend; there wasn’t much action where I was, but in terms of pace, it was slightly better than in the Sprint, which allowed us to be a bit closer to our main competitors. We also managed to keep the tyres in a much better window, which surely helped, even if they are still quite sensitive to overheating at these temperatures.”
The Finn calls on his team to mobilise and bring as many developments as the rest of the midfield.
“We still need to find that little extra for Silverstone: of course, we’re not only looking for a short-term fix, but it’s good to see the gaps remain small. I think the direction to take is clear; we need to move forward with the introduction of new parts, as we’ve seen the difference they made for other teams.”
“At Silverstone, on a different layout, I think there should be opportunities for us: what’s important is to be at the top of our game to make the most of it.”
Bottas and Zhou Far from Points After Crash. Bottas and Zhou Far from Points After Crash
- You may also like>Gasly and Ocon Show Grit in Austrian GP
- Following us on>Facebook and>Twitter
