Zhou Shines as Stake F1 Secures First Points in Qatar

Guanyu Zhou delivers under pressure, securing Stake F1’s first points in Qatar, showcasing resilience in the season’s penultimate race.

Guanyu Zhou scored four points for Stake F1 in Qatar, an unexpected result for the Sauber team. The Chinese driver finished eighth in a chaotic race, marking the team’s first points in the penultimate race of the year.

“We hoped to score points much earlier, and we’ve come such a long way this season,” Zhou said. “To turn things around, we needed the new package, and personally, I wanted to leave Formula 1 in the best way possible, showing the paddock teams what I’m capable of.”

“Last year, it wasn’t a race, it was survival. In the final stint, we were on hard tires while those around us had fresh softs. We had to manage tire warm-up, avoid losing positions, and it was intense. I wanted to stay in the zone, pushed the car to its limits, and everything worked out well.”

Valtteri Bottas was forced off track by Liam Lawson, ruining his race, and admitted disappointment at finishing just outside the points: “My race was very bad. The turning point was the incident with Liam. I lost positions and was on the opposite strategy.”

“Everything went wrong—the timing, blue flags, the Safety Car—it was a disaster. Finishing 11th after such a poor race is disappointing; we should have scored points. But it’s good for Zhou; he had a strong race. I hope things go better in Abu Dhabi. We were competitive last year, and we’ll see if there’s another opportunity.”