Zhou reverts to older-spec Sauber chassis for Spanish GP

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Sauber has taken the unusual step in Barcelona of reverting Zhou Guanyu to older-spec setting for his C44 chassis in a bid to mitigate the struggles encountered by the Chinese driver since Imola.

Since the beginning of this year’s F1 campaign, Zhou has faced a constant battle to elevate his performances, having failed to reach Q2 in qualifying at every round.

Neither Zhou nor his teammate Valtteri Bottas have managed to score a top-ten finish so far, and Sauber remains the only outfit that has yet to put a championship point on the board this season.

But Zhou’s plight has worsened recently. His Canadian Grand Prix weekend was marked by several off-track excursions as he struggled with his car’s handling, particularly in the track’s bumpy areas.

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The Swiss outfit has subsequently chosen to switch its driver’s chassis to its pre-Imola specifications, hoping the changes will see Zhou turn around his fortunes.

“I find the car is very stiff over the bumps,” Zhou said in Barcelona.

“So, I wasn’t able to push. For example, the mistake I did in FP3 in Montreal, that was just really bad. Suddenly you hit the bumps, the car is just spinning around.

“This is something that was let’s say strange or a little bit shocking. But we made a lot of changes now before this weekend in terms of just changing everything again to a different spec, to making sure I get the feeling like I had at least at the beginning of the year back.

“Because I feel completely different now to what I was able to do compared to before.

“So, I’m looking forward to this weekend because it’s a brand-new style, it’s a bit more like starting from scratch.

“I changed my chassis and changed quite a bit of parts [at Imola], and so we are changing everything back to what I had.”

When asked if Sauber had observed similar problems with Valtteri Bottas' car, Zhou replied: “The bumps I felt, and the way how the car responds, is a bit more extreme than what’s happening to his side of the garage.

“So, that’s why we made a decision to change. I think it’s the right call, and I’m really happy to get it done.

“Because it’s not easy for the team just to commit to that. But I think once we commit to that, hopefully it’s the right call. And it only can be made better.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.