Zhou Guanyu said on Lap 1 of F1 Qatar GP that he will make up for it and eventually he did so, as Valtteri Bottas along with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda add on.
With just two races to go in the 2024 F1 season, Kick Sauber finally managed to score points in the penultimate round in Qatar GP courtesy Guanyu. He ended up eighth despite losing places at the start when he had gear issues and was pushed off by Lance Stroll.
He waited for his opportunity and got some help from multiple safety cars too to gain places. At the final re-start, he was well inside the Top 10 in eighth. He was a bit far off from Fernando Alonso and little ahead of Kevin Magnussen, which made it slightly easier to see-through the chequered flag.
It was not just Kick Sauber’s first points of 2024 but also Guanyu, who will not be on the grid in 2025. The Chinese racer, though, felt elated with the result. Of course, he would have wanted it to come slightly before, but nevertheless he’s happy that he can leave with better results.
Teammate Bottas played a support role to Guanyu as they decided before the race that whoever is behind, he will be on the support strategy. The Finn was ahead for most part but an off caused by Visa Cash App RB’s Lawson, ruined his chances. He did climb back up to 10th and in the points.
But the late surge from Lando Norris disallowed Bottas to score, who is also leaving the team. Lawson, meanwhile, apologised the Finn in the media pen. The Kiwi was also handed a time penalty for causing a collision, as Visa Cash App RB had a dismal grand prix in the end.
They remain seventh but they are 13 behind Alpine and eight behind Haas. Teammate Tsunoda made a good start but fell through due to lack of pace. The Japanese driver had a hilarious radio moment where he thought his engineer warned him of ‘beaver’ on track rather than listening ‘mirror’.
Guanyu: “I had chaotic Lap 1. I lost the gear sync in the last two positions on the straight and then Stroll divebombed me again, so I said to the team that I’ll make up for it and then we did. It was an intense race, like there were some important moments to overtake some people and then in the end at the re-start, I think what Fernando did was the best, to go on the medium tyres. For us, we were suffering and that was the best chance to score some points, we had Kevin behind and Alex on the soft, but really happy. It is a relief, we knew it was our best chance in Qatar throughout the season and we grabbed it.
“People always remember your last few races, it doesn’t matter if I scored on debut or not, I think if you left Formula 1 on bad few races then it is not good expectation in future to come back. This two weekends I was able to show myself which is a relief, it has been mentally a draining season, I am happy for the team to score some points. And for myself as well, it is a best way to give message to the paddock and then hopefully get a chance, not next season, but maybe after. Yeah, statement being made now waiting for a chance. So and looking forward to one last race for the team and then the next chapter.
“I probably had a better chance, you know, staying on the grid next year, but I don’t take it as a disappointment. I think I take it as just how sometimes life goes, but in another way, I’m like, also it’s been a relief, you know, mentally it’s been just so draining the season. Like for me, it’s actually a good way, taking one year off, just waiting for a chance, hopefully next year, but then if not, the year after trying to get a seat. So I’m waiting for this and I think the most important is to exit Formula 1, the last few races in the best way I could which I think I was able to show and grateful for that.”
Bottas: “I think everything just went against me – well, since the Lawson incident. He spun and then I lost the track position. We decided before the race, whoever is ahead, we will get the optimal strategy and the other one, a support strategy. That was it. Also the timing of the safety car was the worst for me, possible. So it’s a shame because even like a really bad race now, I was 11th! So a half-decent race should have got points. But obviously I’m happy for Zhou and for the team to at least get a couple of points.
“I didn’t know about the mirror, I couldn’t see anything, I think I was told after. I have one race left for now and hopefully in Abu Dhabi we are going to fight as well. But yeah, just overall, I think this race for me kind of sums up the season, just didn’t work. Everyone deserves at least those couple of points. Nobody wants to be that team who doesn’t score, so at least that curse is off. But like I said, I’ve still got zero points, which is not great. So that’s the main feeling now.”
Lawson: “It was just my bad. I thought we had really good [tyre] temperature to be honest. I worked a lot on the tyres on the restart on the safety car, went for a move and half way around the corner realised…basically, I was sliding up the track towards him and at that point, I just tried to get out of it honestly because I was about to hit him. So I tried to check up, I spun the car.
“I don’t know if we touched, I guess we did, but that was on me. It was my fault. Obviously, he did nothing wrong. I didn’t expect him to stay out there to be honest, and because he did obviously I was sliding up the track, but it was my fault. We had a small issue which we were managing, it was a tough day overall. Honestly, I put ourselves in that position when I spun the car.”
Tsunoda: “Yeah, I had a good start as well and I was P9, able to overtake Alonso as well after the safety car. But I never had like that much of a bad pace. I just gave it everything, you know, I was not even managing the tyres. In Qatar, normally it’s hard to overtake with the car behind, and it seems like a lot of cars [found it] quite easy to overtake me. Just generally a lack of pace, and it’s not even small. Was it mirror? I heard beaver. My engineers said: ‘There’s a beaver.’ But why is there a beaver in the Middle East?
“Like how is it possible a beaver is in the Middle East? But okay, maybe there’s a surprise with global warming – kicking a lot of interesting things in the Earth. To be honest, in that as well, like there was double yellow and some cars behind didn’t really follow it and have to review it in next drivers’ briefing that some drivers respect it, some drivers doesn’t respect and that’s very unclear.”
Here’s Zhou Guanyu crossing the line: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2024-qatar-grand-prix-zhou-crosses-the-line-to-seal-saubers-first-points-of-2024.1817264676035095348
Here’s how F1 Qatar GP panned out
Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact