F1 2024 Season Review

Guanyu Zhou endured a challenging F1 2024 season, with rare highlights amid constant struggles against setbacks and teammate dominance.

Guanyu Zhou’s 2024 season with the Sauber F1 team was the toughest of his three years in Formula 1. From the start, the team faced issues with botched pit stops due to equipment failures, which hindered the Chinese driver.

For most of the season, he struggled against the dominance of Valtteri Bottas, largely because Stake F1 was lost in development, and the Hinwil car proved challenging to push to its limits.

With such characteristics, the Finn’s experience took precedence, making it harder for Zhou to match his previous closeness to Bottas. He had to wait for a successful upgrade on the Sauber C44 to regain some performance.

One of the season’s highlights for Zhou was his home race at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he finished 14th. The local hero had his moment of glory as he parked in front of the grandstands after the race, breaking into tears in an emotional moment of connection with the crowd.

After an exceptionally long season, Zhou ultimately saved Sauber’s campaign by securing eighth place at the Qatar Grand Prix, earning four points for the team in the penultimate race of the year.

Despite this strong result, Zhou departed the team at the end of the season and will be replaced by Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025. Zhou, however, could make a comeback as a reserve driver, potentially with Ferrari, and has already announced his intention to return in 2026.

Statistics

Category	Guanyu Zhou
Championship Position	20th (4 points)
Wins	0
Pole Positions	0
Podiums	0
Fastest Laps	0
Hat Tricks	0
Grand Slams	0
Laps Led	0
Laps Completed	1345 (93.14%)
Average Qualifying Position	18.17
Average Race Position	15.23