In 2022, Alfa Romeo finished sixth in the Formula 1 World Championship, and Guanyu Zhou believes his team can achieve a similar result again in 2024
Guanyu Zhou believes his Sauber team can return to the form it had under the name Alfa Romeo in the Chinese driver’s first season in the 2024 Formula 1 season. The Swiss racing team made a strong start to the new ground-effect era and finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022
In 2023, however, the team fell back: instead of 55 points, it scored just 16, and instead of sixth place, it finished ninth. But according to Zhou, the trend is set to change: “The development trends so far are still in line with our expectations”,
“We hope that the pre-season preparation, including the three days of testing, will allow us to set a better direction for the whole season,” continued the Chinese rider, who has “confidence” in the team and believes that “this year we can return to the level of performance we had in my first season”.
The team is currently in a transition phase that will end with the takeover of Audi in 2026. Personnel changes have also been made in recent months, including bringing James Key back to Hinwil as Head of Engineering. This should soon bear fruit.
Zhou is trying to find an answer to why the team went back in 2023: “Our development direction was actually already clear around the summer break of the 2023 season,” he says.
Alfa Romeo had problems getting the tires to work, especially at low temperatures and with little grip. “As a result, we were unable to deliver the performance in the first and second sectors,” says Zhou.
“There were also some uncertainties with the car, such as correcting more often in the corners than in the 2022 season, with unexpected oversteer or understeer,” he explains. “These are things we have given James feedback on. “
Zhou himself will also have to improve this year if he wants to secure his future in Formula 1. So far, he has lost out to Valtteri Bottas, even though he came closer to the Finn in 2023.
At least he can finally look forward to his home race in Shanghai in the new season, after the race had repeatedly slipped off the calendar recently. “I’m definitely happy to have my home race in Shanghai. I haven’t raced or tested there, but I’m really looking forward to racing at home,” he says.
“It’s been a shame that I’ve been racing in Formula 1 for the last two years [without the Chinese GP], but I can finally fulfill this little wish in 2024 and race in my hometown. “
