Zhou Guanyu is a Chinese racing driver who became the first and only Chinese driver to race in a Championship race and season to date.
| Nationality | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Born | Zhou Guanyu 30 May 1999 Shanghai, China |
Previously a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018 and a development driver for the Formula E team DS Techeetah in 2018, Zhou’s journey to F1 has seen him compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for UNI-Virtuosi Racing, where he finished third in the 2021 campaign. Zhou was also a test driver for both the Renault F1 Team and the Alpine F1 Team in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
For the 2022 Formula One season, Zhou inked a deal with Alfa Romeo, becoming China’s first full-time Formula One driver partnering with the experienced Valtteri Bottas. In a statement released after the announcement, Zhou emphasised his readiness to tackle the immense challenge of Formula 1 and underlined that his entry into the series would represent a historic milestone for Chinese motorsport.
Zhou selected 24 as his permanent racing number to pay tribute to his sports idol Kobe Bryant, who donned the same number during his illustrious career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite starting fifteenth on the grid in his debut at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, Zhou mounted a spirited comeback after a poor start and eventually finished in tenth position, earning himself a valuable point in his race debut.
He continued with the team in 2023 and 2024, the latter season under the rebranded Stake F1 Team. Zhou remained under contract until the end of the 2024 season; however, neither Zhou nor his 2024 teammate, Valtteri Bottas, remained with the team after the season ended. Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were signed to join the Swiss squad for the 2025 F1 season, preparing for Sauber’s transition to Audi ownership. This ended a somewhat disappointing career for Zhou in F1.
Zhou Guanyu Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2022–2024 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Alfa Romeo, Sauber |
| Car number | 24 |
| Entries | 68 (68 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 16 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First entry | 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
Zhou Guanyu Teammates
| 6 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Alonso | 1 | 2021 | |
| Esteban Ocon | 1 | 2021 | |
| Valtteri Bottas | 68 | 2022 | 2024 |
| Robert Kubica | 4 | 2022 | |
| Théo Pourchaire | 3 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Robert Shwartzman | 2 | 2024 |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Alpine F1 Team | Alpine A521 | Renault E-Tech 20B 1.6 V6 t | BHR | EMI | POR | ESP | MON | AZE | FRA | STY | AUT TD | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | RUS | TUR | USA | MXC | SAP | QAT | SAU | ABU | – | – | ||
| 2022 | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen | Alfa Romeo C42 | Ferrari 066/7 1.6 V6 t | BHR 10 | SAU 11 | AUS 11 | EMI 15 | MIA Ret | ESP Ret | MON 16 | AZE Ret | CAN 8 | GBR Ret | AUT 14 | FRA 16† | HUN 13 | BEL 14 | NED 16 | ITA 10 | SIN Ret | JPN 16 | USA 12 | MXC 13 | SAP 12 | ABU 12 | 18th | 6 | ||
| 2023 | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake | Alfa Romeo C43 | Ferrari 066/10 1.6 V6 t | BHR 16 | SAU 13 | AUS 9 | AZE Ret | MIA 16 | MON 13 | ESP 9 | CAN 16 | AUT 12 | GBR 15 | HUN 16 | BEL 13 | NED Ret | ITA 14 | SIN 12 | JPN 13 | QAT 9 | USA 13 | MXC 14 | SAP Ret | LVG 15 | ABU 17 | 18th | 6 | ||
| 2024 | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | Kick Sauber C44 | Ferrari 066/12 1.6 V6 t | BHR 11 | SAU 18 | AUS 15 | JPN Ret | CHN 14 | MIA 14 | EMI 15 | MON 16 | CAN 15 | ESP 13 | AUT 17 | GBR 18 | HUN 19 | BEL Ret | NED 20 | ITA 18 | AZE 14 | SIN 15 | USA 19 | MXC 15 | SAP 15 | LVG 13 | QAT 8 | ABU 13 | 20th | 4 |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
