Recently, the second-to-last race of the 2024 F1 Grand Prix, the Qatar Grand Prix, concluded with Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen narrowly winning the race, delaying the reveal of the F1 year-end team championship to the next race. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu started from 12th position and ultimately finished 8th, securing 4 points, helping Sauber break their season-long scoreless streak. Zhou Guanyu was also awarded the title of Best Driver of the Race, setting a new record for Chinese racing. Zhou Guanyu said, "No one will remember your first race, but everyone will remember your last performance, so I look forward to a memorable race." In this battle of self-rescue, Zhou Guanyu achieved a comeback.
At the previous F1 Las Vegas station, Verstappen secured the driver's championship early, achieving a remarkable four consecutive championships. In the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull Racing will compete for the team championship. Meanwhile, another suspense of the season has also received attention: whether Sauber can break their scoreless streak.
In the Las Vegas race, Zhou Guanyu finished 13th, still missing out on points. Zhou Guanyu then stated that the upgraded Sauber car performed well, hoping the car could go faster on the straightaways. Throughout the season, as Zhou Guanyu and the Sauber team worked together, he repeatedly expressed his hope for better tuning of the team and car, but the outside world never saw the expected results. However, during preparations for the Qatar station, the media noticed that the team's garage frequently practiced tire changes, demonstrating the team's determination to achieve good results at the end of the season.
The Qatar Grand Prix proved to be a lucky ground for Zhou Guanyu. In the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, he started from 19th place and eventually finished 9th, bringing home points. In this year's race, Zhou Guanyu qualified 12th. After the start of the main event, Zhou Guanyu failed to solve the problem of slow starts, falling behind significantly before struggling back to 12th place. On lap 24, Russell made the first pit stop, but a mistake by the Mercedes team caused him to spend 7 seconds changing tires, dropping him behind Alonso after exiting the pit. Zhou Guanyu's Sauber teammate Bottas pitted shortly after, completing the tire change in just 2.4 seconds, demonstrating the progress of the Sauber maintenance crew.
On lap 35, as Bottas' car flew across with debris, it caused Hamilton and Sainz to suffer tire bursts in the same lap. The incident forced the race to pause, with all cars returning to the pit. This incident became an opportunity for Zhou Guanyu, who came out in 10th place. Teammate Bottas was also near the scoring area. With 15 laps remaining, Norris received a 10-second penalty for not slowing down under the yellow flag, dropping to the back of the pack after pitting on lap 46. Norris then overtook Bottas to reach 10th place on lap 53. Facing the strong challenge from behind, Zhou Guanyu continuously set the fastest lap times, ultimately finishing 8th and securing 4 points, breaking the team's scoreless streak.
After exiting the car, when the Sauber team staff informed Zhou Guanyu that he had been voted the Best Driver of the Game by the fans, he was almost disbelieving. "Really?" Zhou Guanyu asked. Being able to prove his strength on the track, Zhou Guanyu let out a long breath after the race. "It's more of a relief. Happy may not be the most appropriate word; relief is more accurate. It's been a long season, and since the beginning of the season, we haven't had a car capable of competing for points. But since the introduction of the new upgrades at the Las Vegas station, I've felt more at ease. The entire team is also in great shape, and today we've done it." Zhou Guanyu said.
This achievement was no easy feat for both Zhou Guanyu and the Sauber team. In 2021, Zhou Guanyu was signed by the Alfa Romeo team (later renamed Sauber), becoming China's first official F1 driver. In the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, he debuted with a 10th-place finish, earning points for the team and becoming the 66th driver in F1 history to score points on their debut. At the Canadian Grand Prix, he even achieved 8th place, his best career ranking to date.
Entering the 2024 season, both the Sauber team and the car lacked competitiveness, with the team always missing out on points, and Zhou Guanyu also confirmed that he would not be a formal driver for the Sauber team in the next season. In the final moments of the Qatar Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu faced immense pressure to single-handedly break into the scoring zone. Faced with the team's urgent mood, Zhou Guanyu unusually responded seriously over the radio, "Don't talk to me!" But in the end, Zhou Guanyu broke the team's scoreless streak with an 8th-place finish at this station, also achieving self-redemption.
Zhou Guanyu places great importance on the honor of Best Driver, after all, it comes from fan voting. "I didn't even know I was voted Best Driver of the Game today; I only found out on the big screen after the race. Thank you very much for all the fans' support in voting." Zhou Guanyu said.
The title of Best Driver is the best reward for Zhou Guanyu's hard work. Compared to three years ago, Zhou Guanyu now has accumulated driving experience in F1 Grand Prix, and his 8th-place finish at this station proves his strength. This difficult season, with Sauber's inaction, has caused losses to Zhou Guanyu's strength and commercial value. This achievement at the Qatar Grand Prix finally allows Zhou Guanyu to showcase his true strength, and also makes F1 fans eagerly anticipate his new chapter.