Guanyu Zhou is nostalgic for the start of the season, when the Sauber C44 was level with its rivals, and he was close to playing Q2 and less far from the points. But the Stake F1 driver recognizes that it is complicated to accept his team's delay.
“Of course not, it was very hard. I still remember the first races of the season because I felt much better. Of course we had other problems, in the pits, but the car behaved quite competitively with those who were fighting in the middle of the pack” Zhou remembers.
“I could show my progress or the experience I had acquired over two and a half years. You gain better experience, better knowledge of everything and you understand better what you need to do to go faster. But so, it's quite difficult to accept as a pilot.”
The Chinese driver explains that he would like to keep his place in Formula 1, but that he does not have the equipment to show his progress: “I think you're doing your best. You get knocked out in Q1 or you struggle to get through.”
“And sometimes you're half a tenth, sometimes half a second short of the elimination zone, which is hard to explain exactly from just driving. So it's a tough season, but you don't you only have what you have.”
“I always try to give everything I have for the remaining races. I care about my future, I want to stay here as long as possible. So I am fighting for that and the opportunity is always there. I So try to keep your head down.”
Zhou is still in talks with Sauber to extend his contract next season. But the Chinese pilot recognizes that he must also think about other options: “We had a lot more discussion than in recent race weekends, and we knew nothing had been declared.”
“Also, nothing has been signed for second place and we are still in the running for that, me and Valtteri. And yes, nothing has been done. So we are giving our best every weekend showing Mattia what we can do, and it's obviously up to him and the people at Audi to make a decision at the end of the day.”
“On the one hand, you focus on the season, but you also think about what you will do afterwards in case you don't have a steering wheel. Of course, we have a few options that don't seem too bad. But all firstly, racing remains the priority for now.”