Guanyu Zhou
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Zhou Guanyu (, pronounced ; born 30 May 1999) is a Chinese
racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, who serves as a reserve driver in
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
for
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
. Zhou competed in Formula One from to , and remains the only Chinese driver to compete in Formula One. Born in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, Zhou began
karting Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motor ...
aged eight before moving to
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
in 2012 to compete internationally. Graduating to
junior formulae Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...
in 2014, Zhou finished runner-up in the
2015 Italian F4 Championship The 2015 Italian F4 Championship was the second season of the Italian Formula 4 Championship. It began on 3 May in Vallelunga and finished on 4 October in Misano after seven triple header rounds. Teams and drivers Race calendar and results Th ...
. After three seasons in the
FIA Formula 3 European Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three (F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived t ...
, as well as a development driver role in
Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...
for
Techeetah DS Techeetah (, ) was a Sino- French motor racing team under ownership of SECA - China Media Capital that competed in the electric racing series, Formula E. Formula E Team Aguri principal Aguri Suzuki announced he would leave the team in A ...
in , Zhou competed in the
FIA Formula 2 Championship The FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) is a second-tier single-seater championship organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on road racing, racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the re ...
from to for Virtuosi, finishing third in his final season. A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018, and the Alpine Academy—formerly the
Renault Sport Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Automobiles Alpine, Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established ...
Academy—from 2019 to 2021, he served as a test driver for
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
and Alpine in and , respectively. Zhou signed for
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
in to partner Valtteri Bottas, scoring his first career point on debut at the . Retaining his seat for his campaign, he scored further points finishes in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
. He remained at the re-branded
Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...
in , where he scored the team's only points finish with the C44—at the —before leaving at the end of the season, having achieved two fastest laps and 16 championship points in Formula One.


Early and personal life

Zhou Guanyu was born on 30 May 1999 in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, China. Having started karting when he was eight years old in China, Zhou moved to
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
in 2012 for a more competitive racing environment, where he attended
Westbourne School Westbourne School for Boys and girls is an independent school for boys and girls aged 3–16 years old. It is located in the Broomhill area of south Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The headmaster is Aidan Edmanson. The school was founde ...
.


Junior racing career


Karting

In 2013, racing with the Sheffield-based Strawberry Racing team, he won both the Super 1 National Rotax Max Junior Championship and Rotax Max Euro Challenge. For his final year of karting, Zhou finished 2nd in the Rotax Max Senior Euro Challenge and participated in selected rounds of WSK Champions Cup and the KF2 European Championship. He also made his first and only appearance in the
Karting World Championship The FIA Karting World Championship, officially known as the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a kart racing competition organised by the CIK-FIA. Hosted annually since 1964, it is widely regarded as the ...
, driving for Ricky Flynn Motorsport alongside
Lando Norris Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
and
Jehan Daruvala Jehan Daruvala (Marathi language, Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA, ͡ʒeˈɦɑn daːruːvaːlaː born 1 October 1998) is an Indian racing driver who last raced in the Formula E for Maserati MSG Racing. He was a protégé of the Force India ...
.


Formula 4

Zhou joined Prema Powerteam for the
2015 Italian F4 Championship The 2015 Italian F4 Championship was the second season of the Italian Formula 4 Championship. It began on 3 May in Vallelunga and finished on 4 October in Misano after seven triple header rounds. Teams and drivers Race calendar and results Th ...
. After winning all three races in Round 2 at Monza and consistently finishing on the podium, Zhou ended the season as vice-champion and best rookie. He also competed in selected rounds of the German ADAC F4 Championship, achieving two podium finishes in Spielberg and Spa.


FIA Formula 3 European Championship


2016

Zhou joined team Motopark for the 2016 FIA European F3 Championship. After a successful season opener rounds in Paul Ricard and Hungaroring by finishing in 2 podium positions, Zhou struggled to find pace during the 2nd half of the season, finishing in 13th for his maiden season.


2017

Zhou stayed for a second F3 season by rejoining Prema and improved to 8th in standings with 5 podium finishes. Season highlights included leading race 3 in Spa and holding back
Lando Norris Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
in the penultimate round.


2018

After speculation of a possible move to F2, Zhou remained with Prema for a third F3 season. After a maiden career win in Pau, a podium in Hungaroring, and three consecutive podium finishes in Zandvoort, Zhou found him standing in 2nd, just a point behind teammate Marcus Armstrong. Despite a strong qualifying pace in Spa and Silverstone, Zhou suffered 4 consecutive retirements with a series of teammate collisions and tyre punctures. Zhou won his second F3 race in Hockenheim, finishing the season 8th in the standings, with 3 poles, and 2 wins.


FIA Formula 2


2019

In December 2018, Zhou joined UNI-Virtuosi Racing along with
Luca Ghiotto Luca Ghiotto (born 24 February 1995) is an Italian racing driver who competes in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2025 European Le Mans Series for Inter Europol Competition. He also competed in select rounds in the 2024 IndyCar Series for Dale ...
for the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Zhou achieved a maiden feature race podium in Barcelona after a strong qualifying and leading most of the race before dropping to third due to tyre degradation. He subsequently achieved another 3rd in the Monaco sprint race by overtaking
Artem Markelov Artem Valeryevich Markelov ( rus, Артём Вале́рьевич Марке́лов, p=ɐrˈtʲɵm vɐˈlʲerʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐrˈkʲeləf; born 10 September 1994) is a retired Russians, Russian racing driver who last competed in the FIA Fo ...
at the start. At Silverstone, Zhou scored his first Formula 2
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
, becoming the first Chinese driver to do so. Later, Zhou also scored third place in the sprint race at
Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...
. In the feature race at Silverstone, he lost positions to his teammate and race winner
Luca Ghiotto Luca Ghiotto (born 24 February 1995) is an Italian racing driver who competes in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2025 European Le Mans Series for Inter Europol Competition. He also competed in select rounds in the 2024 IndyCar Series for Dale ...
and the second-place driver
Nicholas Latifi Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
. In Abu Dhabi, he also finished third with the fastest lap in Race 1. He finished seventh in the championship and was subsequently awarded the
Anthoine Hubert Anthoine Gérard Pol Hubert (; 22 September 1996 – 31 August 2019) was a French professional racing driver. He was the 2018 GP3 Series champion and a member of the Renault Sport Academy. He died following an accident during the feature rac ...
Award for being the highest-finishing rookie.


2020

Zhou remained at UNI-Virtuosi for the 2020 season, partnering Ferrari Driver Academy member
Callum Ilott Callum Benjamin Ilott ( ; born 11 November 1998) is a British racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series, driving No. 90 Dallara-Chevrolet for Prema Racing. He previously competed in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship racing for ...
. Zhou took his second Formula 2 pole position at the opening race at the
Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...
. However, his car suffered electronic problems whilst leading the feature race, causing him to drop to 17th. Later in the year, Zhou won his first Formula 2 race in Sochi, after Aitken and Ghiotto crashed at lap 5 of the sprint race, causing a premature end of the race. Over the season, Zhou achieved 6 podiums and finished sixth in the championship.


2021

Zhou entered his third F2 season staying with UNI-Virtuosi and partnering
Felipe Drugovich Felipe Drugovich Roncato (born 23 May 2000) is a Brazilian racing driver, who most recently competed in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Action Express Racing, Cadillac Whelen and serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Aston Martin in ...
. He took pole position in the opening round at Bahrain and converted the pole to his first feature race win in F2. The Chinese driver took another victory in the first sprint race in
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
ahead of his team-mate Drugovich. However, after another podium in
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, Zhou went four races without scoring points, with a brake failure and a resulting collision with
Dan Ticktum Daniel Charles Anthony Ticktum (born 8 June 1999) is a British racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Kiro Race Co. Born in London, Ticktum began competitive kart racing aged eight, winning several national titles. Graduating to junior f ...
in the first lap of the second race in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
and a spin in the first sprint race at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
allowing fellow academy member
Oscar Piastri Oscar Jack Piastri ( ; born 6 April 2001) is an Australian racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Piastri has won Formula One Grands Prix across three seasons. Born and raised in Melbourne, Piastri began his career in radio-co ...
to take the lead in the standings. Zhou broke his duck by taking his third victory of the season in the feature race in Britain, beating out Ticktum for the victory. At the following round in
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
Zhou was able to end up on the podium twice, losing out to
Théo Pourchaire Théo Jérôme Julien Pourchaire (; born 20 August 2003) is a French people, French racing driver who currently competes in the 2025 European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing. He is the 2023 Formula 2 Championship, 2023 Formula 2 champion, ...
and Piastri in races one and three respectively. Unfortunately for the Chinese driver, he stalled his car following a spin before the first race in
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from  – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
and only managed to finish the feature race in sixth place, thus losing more ground to leader Piastri, who went into the penultimate round with a 36-point advantage. In Round 7 at Jeddah, he dropped to third in the standings after a spin caused by colliding with
Christian Lundgaard Christian Lundgaard (; born 23 July 2001) is a Danes, Danish professional racing driver who currently drives the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar Series. He previously competed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in No. 45 car. H ...
in the first sprint race. He bounced back in the final round at Abu Dhabi, signing off his F2 career by winning the second sprint race and finishing second in the feature race. He finished the season third in the championship, having achieved 4 wins, 1 pole and 9 podiums.


F3 Asian Championship

During the winter break before the start of the 2021 Formula 2 season, Zhou participated in the 2021 F3 Asian Championship driving for Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema. He won the championship after achieving 4 wins, 5 poles and 11 podiums in the season.


Formula One career

In 2014, Zhou joined the Ferrari Driver Academy while competing in karting. He left the academy at the end of 2018 and joined the Renault Sport Academy the following year ahead of his move into
Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...
. He served as a development driver for the Renault F1 Team in 2019 and took part in an R.S.17 testing programme, driving at five different circuits during the year. He was promoted to the role of Test Driver in 2020. He participated in the ''Virtual Grand Prix Series''—an
esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
competition organised by Formula One in place of races postponed or cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
—and won the first race held at the
Bahrain International Circuit The Bahrain International Circuit () is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 2), and the annual Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Formula One season, 2004 Gr ...
. Once the season resumed, Zhou took part in three test sessions driving the Renault R.S.18, including the post-season test at
Yas Marina Circuit The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
alongside
Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
. Zhou remained part of the rebranded Alpine Academy for and made his Formula One race weekend debut for
Alpine F1 Team Alpine F1 Team, currently racing as BWT Alpine F1 Team for sponsorship reasons, is the name under which the Enstone-based Formula One team has been competing since the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 ...
, driving the A521 during the first practice session of the . This made him the second driver from
Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
to participate in a Grand Prix weekend session after Ma Qinghua.


Alfa Romeo / Sauber (2022–2024)


2022

Zhou signed with
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
for the Formula One season, partnering Valtteri Bottas and becoming China's first Formula One race driver. In a press release following the announcement, Zhou stated that he was "well prepared for the immense challenge of Formula 1" and that his entry into the series would be "a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history". He chose 24 as his permanent racing number to honour his sporting hero
Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...
, who wore the number during his
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
career with the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. He qualified fifteenth on his debut at the , but recovered from a poor start in the race to finish tenth, scoring a point. Seven races without points followed. A collision with
Pierre Gasly Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Alpine. Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri. Born and raised in Normandy, Gasly began competitive kart racing age ...
eliminated him from the sprint, which was followed by mechanical retirements at the
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
Grands Prix. A hydraulics issue at the caused his third retirement in four races. At the , Zhou reached the third qualifying session (Q3) for the first time and finished the race eighth, scoring points for the second time. At the next race, the , he was involved in a high-speed collision with George Russell on the opening lap that caused Zhou's car to flip upside-down, skid across the track and gravel and bounce over the barriers into the
catch fence The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...
. He was extracted and taken to the medical centre, and then declared fit after being observed. Zhou later commented that the
halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...
saved his life during the crash. More mechanical problems followed; he was required to start the sprint from the pit lane after an engine issue on the formation lap, and another power unit issue caused his retirement from the . He scored another point by finishing tenth at the , which ended behind the
safety car In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...
. A collision with
Nicholas Latifi Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
ended his race at the . He finished sixteenth at the rain-shortened , but a late pit stop for new tyres allowed him to claim the
fastest lap In motorsports, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. In some racing series, like NASCAR, the fastest lap award championship points for a driver or team. In Formula One and MotoGP no point is awarded for the fastest lap. Formula O ...
for the first time in his career. Zhou ended the season eighteenth in the World Drivers' Championship with six points to teammate Bottas's 49.


2023

Zhou remained with Alfa Romeo for alongside Bottas. During the second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, he set the fastest lap time of 1:31.610. He qualified thirteenth at the season-opening and finished sixteenth, having made a pit stop for soft tyres on the penultimate lap to claim the fastest lap of the race. Alfa Romeo later explained that this was done to deny rivals Alpine and ninth-placed Pierre Gasly the bonus point. Zhou claimed his first points-scoring finish of the season at the with ninth place, having started seventeenth. This was followed by a mechanical retirement at the . He scored points again at the , starting thirteenth and finishing ninth. He achieved his best Formula One qualifying performance at the , setting the fastest Q1 time and then qualifying fifth. He was slow off the start line and was then involved in a first-corner collision for which he received a time penalty; he went on to finish the race sixteenth. Zhou started fifteenth on the grid at the but a call to change to intermediate tyres after lap one promoted him as high as second place. He eventually dropped outside the top ten and later crashed out of the race when the rain returned. Zhou qualified nineteenth at the and was required to start from the pit lane as his car was modified in parc fermé. Despite "unfortunate" safety car timing, he recovered to twelfth after "an epic stint on the medium tyres". Zhou qualified last on the grid at the , but benefitted from Carlos Sainz Jr.'s failure to start, a collision between
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
and George Russell and other drivers' struggles with the extreme heat to take ninth place in the main race, his third points finish of the season. He reached Q3 in qualifying at the , but was unable to hold off the cars behind and was classified fourteenth at the finish. He qualified in last place at the and retired from the race with engine issues. Zhou finished eighteenth in the World Drivers' Championship with six points, an identical result to 2022. Teammate Bottas scored ten points and qualified ahead of Zhou at fifteen of the twenty-two races. ''
Autosport ''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London, England. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Autosport began life as a we ...
'' praised Zhou for "holding his own" against Bottas but identified qualifying as an area for improvement, and ''RaceFans'' described his performance in 2023 as "professional if unspectacular".


2024

Zhou and Bottas were retained at the team for the 2024 season. Following the end of
Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...
's partnership with
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
, the team rebranded to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to accommodate the sponsorship of Stake.com and
Kick A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of ...
. Zhou completed the race in his home city of
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
for the first time in April as the
Chinese Grand Prix The Chinese Grand Prix () is a round of the Formula One World Championship. The event was held every year from 2004 until 2019 before it was suspended from 2020 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The event resumed in 2024 and is con ...
returned to the calendar for the 2024 season. Zhou improved from seventeenth on the grid to eleventh at the finish at the opening race, the . He crashed in the final practice session at the and the team were unable to repair his car in time to set a qualifying lap; he finished the race last of the running drivers in eighteenth place. He damaged his front wing in qualifying at the and was forced to start the race from the pit lane due to a different specification replacement part being fitted; the team had not brought spares of the current design to Australia. He finished the race fifteenth. This was followed by a gearbox-related retirement at the after qualifying in last place. At the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, he finished his first home race in 14th place. After the race, he was given a special parking spot on the grid to celebrate the completion of his first ever home race in front of the Chinese crowd. Zhou finished 16th in the
2024 Monaco Grand Prix The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on 26 May 2024, at the Circuit de Monaco in Monaco. It was the eighth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship. Th ...
after a three-car collision between
Nico Hülkenberg Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Hülkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2015 with Por ...
,
Sergio Pérez Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Pérez was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Red Bull, and won Gr ...
and
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
. Zhou avoided the accident but managed to continue. Zhou out-qualified Valtteri Bottas for the
British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK. First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926 British Grand Prix, 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 ...
. He was last of the finishers after home hero George Russell and Alpine's
Pierre Gasly Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Alpine. Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri. Born and raised in Normandy, Gasly began competitive kart racing age ...
retired. Zhou finished ahead of Bottas in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix while Bottas finished 16th after the race was neutralised on lap 50 which occurred a high-speed collision between Carlos Sainz Jr. and
Sergio Pérez Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Pérez was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Red Bull, and won Gr ...
. He scored Sauber's lone points of the 2024 season at the , qualifying twelfth and finishing eighth after two
safety car In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...
s. Zhou left Sauber at the end of the season, with
Nico Hülkenberg Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Hülkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2015 with Por ...
and
Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Lourenzo Bortoleto Oliveira (; born 14 October 2004) is a Brazilian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. Born and raised in Osasco, Bortoleto began competitive kart racing aged seven, winning multiple national titles a ...
joining for , prior to their takeover by
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...
.


Ferrari reserve driver (2025–present)

Zhou joined
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
as a reserve driver for the season.


Karting record


Karting career summary


Racing record


Racing career summary


Complete Italian F4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Toyota Racing Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Macau Grand Prix results


Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position points) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap points) Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.


Complete F3 Asian Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Formula One results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.


References


External links

* *
Zhou Guanyu
on
Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ac ...

Profile
at ferrari.com
Profile
at renaultsport.com __FORCETOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Guanyu 1999 births Living people Chinese racing drivers Chinese Formula One drivers Italian F4 Championship drivers Toyota Racing Series drivers ADAC Formula 4 drivers FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers FIA Formula 2 Championship drivers F3 Asian Championship drivers Prema Powerteam drivers M2 Competition drivers Motopark Academy drivers Virtuosi Racing drivers Alfa Romeo Formula One drivers Karting World Championship drivers Chinese expatriate sportspeople in England Sportspeople from Shanghai Sportspeople from Sheffield Sauber Formula One drivers