Formula 1's only Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu has been stung by recent comments suggesting that he owes his place on the grid to the large amount of sponsorship money he brings in to Sauber.
Zhou made his F1 bow at the 2022 Bahrain GP, when the team was racing under the Alfa Romeo marque and picked up a championship point on his first try.
However he found the top ten on only two further occasions that year, which included a memorable accident in the British Grand Prix where he was flipped upside down at the first corner at Silverstone.
Generally he's acquitted himself well compared to his vastly more experienced team mate Valtteri Bottas. Both drivers have struggled to overcome problems with the car, with the squad focussed on becoming the Audi factory team in 2026.
But former world champion Jacques Villeneuve feels that's no excuse for Zhou not performing better, after the driver finished his first two seasons in P18 and like Bottas has failed to score a single point in the first 14 races of 2024.
“Based on the results, Zhou doesn’t deserve a seat in F1," Villeneuve complained this week. "He has a big luggage of cash from his sponsors that he needs to put somewhere."
Zhou faces an uncertain future once his current contract expires at the end of the current season, although he hopes to remain at Hinwil and views Villeneuve's criticism as unhelpful, misinformed and plain wrong.
"There's a lot of stupid rumours from media," Zhou told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview this week. "I heard some rumours in the past, and it's the first time I'm speaking to someone [about it].
"People say [things] like, 'I don't know how much money I'm bringing' [or that I'm] speaking to one of the teams. Not here [at Sauber] - I'm not gonna mention which team, they just announced the driver departure.
"What I mean is that I barely spoke to them in that period, but [rumours] just come up with the amount of sponsor money I could bring to the table. I wish I had that, maybe I can invest together in Sauber and make a benefit of it!
"I want to say it clear," he continued. "It's just a lot of rumours on that side, which is quite funny to see that, but in another way it's a bit disrespectful saying that."
Sauber's current form is not helping Zhou's case when it comes to extending his time in F1. So far the teams' best result in 2024 was in Bahrain where Zhou was P11; he also narrowly missed out in the Chinese sprint race in P9.
The way that the driver standings are calculated, Zhou's near-miss in the season opener means that he nominally ranks ahead of Bottas in the championship despite neither driver having clinched a point so far.
But it's a different story in qualifying. Zhou is often found starting from the back row of the grid, and has only out-qualified Bottas once so far this year in changeable conditions at Silverstone.
At this point, the urgent focus for Zhou and former Manor/Marussia F1 team boss Graeme Lowdon who is part of his management team is to do enough to convince Sauber to renew his contract for 2025.
"Graeme and me are working hard on myself on track to show what I am capable of doing," Zhou confirmed. "He's looking at the few options still available on the table."
The only teams with driver vacancies for next season are Mercedes, RB, Alpine and of course Sauber itself, where Nico Hulkenberg has been confirmed in one of seats leaving Bottas and Zhou scrapping over the remaining one.
The Mercedes seat looks likely to go to F2 rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Daniel Ricciardo could yet hold on to his spot at RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
Alpine matches the description of the team that has just announced a driver departure with the exit of Esteban Ocon for Haas, but the smart money suggests that Alpine reserve Jack Doohan will be lining up alongside Pierre Gasly.
That leaves Sauber as his best chance, and the recent arrival of former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto might boost Zhou's hopes in that regard.
“For the future or for next year, it's definitely better. I’ve known him for quite a while now, being involved with Ferrari’s academy for several years.” Zhou told The Race website when asked about the impact of Binotto's appointment.
“I want to stay in this championship," he made clear. "That's what I want to do. But in terms of what I do, if I become a third driver, I haven't thought about it.
"My mindset is on getting a seat because there’s still, I would say, a chance of 50 per cent or more that I get a seat," he insisted.
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