Zhou praises encouraging signs for Kick Sauber after Vegas

Zhou Guanyu was left feeling more positive after delivering one of his best drives of the season in Las Vegas, though Kick Sauber are still yet to score in 2024.

The Chinese racer is without a seat for next year, but he put the disappointment of not being retained by Kick Sauber to one side as he finished 13th on a night where there were only two retirements. P13 matches his result from Spain, and only his P11 achieved in the very first race of the season beats his Vegas finish.

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Kick Sauber even split the strategies between their two drivers in an attempt to engineer a good result, starting Valtteri Bottas on the hard compound tyres – but that proved less than optimal for the Finn, who was forced into a support role, as he tried to back the pack up to buy Zhou more time.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: 13th placed qualifier Zhou Guanyu of China and Stake F1 Team Kick — Zhou produced his best drive since the summer with a P13 finish in Las Vegas

“Today was a good race for me,” Zhou said post-race. “It’s been a while since we fought in the mid-pack near the top 10, and today, I feel we finally had a real chance. I believe we maximised the result we could have had with our pace, especially considering there was not a lot of drama happening ahead.

“It's encouraging to be back where we were this weekend. It’s a step forward and it gives us confidence; things are looking more promising as we head to Qatar for the next round.”

The last team to finish the season without a score was Haas in 2021 – and Kick Sauber can take some encouragement from the way the American team bounced back from that result, given they are now vying for sixth in the constructors’.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 23: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber — Bottas did everything he could to support his team in Vegas

But Zhou and Bottas are running out of time to make an impact, given both are departing at the end of this season.

“It was a very tough race as the tyres didn't last as long as we were hoping for,” Bottas explained. “We had planned a one-stop, but it became clear that we could only make it to the end with a two-stopper.

“Starting on hards, only a one-stop strategy could have given me an advantage, but it didn't work out today, it caught us a bit by surprise. Pace-wise, I couldn't make enough progress, and I focused also on playing the team game to support Zhou. It was just a tough day out there, but the car seems to be making some progress so hopefully we can have two better weekends to end the season."