F1 racer Zhou Guanyu seeks contract extension rumoured at US$2 million

Zhou Guanyu will be chasing more than points on the track when the Formula One season resumes this weekend after its brief summer break.

The Sauber driver is midway through his second one-year contract with the team, which races as Alfa Romeo, and with Audi taking over by the 2026 season, Zhou is seeking an extension to his rumoured US$2 million deal.

Both sides are keen on renewing the partnership, with team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi telling motorsport.com the plan was to have Zhou and teammate Valtteri Bottas, whose contract runs until 2025, back next year.

“We are a team in the process of transformation, and we are trying to be as stable as possible in all areas,” Bravi said. “Of course, we are looking for improvement and opportunity.

“After the summer break, Zhou and I will have to sit down and see what would be the best solution for both of us. Our goal is to have both drivers in the team next year, but of course, all the elements must be present.”

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, Zhou said talks, ongoing since before the summer break, were in a “happy place right now”.

The Chinese driver has put in some solid performances again this season, and is 16th in the standings with four points, just one fewer than Bottas. As a pair, they have Alfa ninth in the constructors’ championship, two points back from Hass and Williams, seventh and eighth respectively.

“I’m just trying to do the maximum I can here on the track and the rest is up to time, up to more further detailed discussion together – but I think, let’s say, this time last year I was a lot more nervous than I am now,” Zhou said. “So, hopefully I’m able to set everything down and have a good future ahead.”

Haas have already cemented their line-up for next season, handing veteran drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg another year together with team principal Guenther Steiner, saying he expected a jump in performance.

Bravi has tasked his drivers with chasing down the American-owned team over the second half of the 22-race season, and said the focus was on finishing “ahead of the pack” to claim seventh spot.

Grabbing fifth on the grid ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix in July was Zhou’s best performance in qualifying, and while a system failure left him out of the points, the 24-year-old said while it “had not been an easy season” the target was clear.

“We want to achieve that P7 in the constructors’ championship and it’s very close between us, AlphaTauri and also Williams and Haas,” he said. “I still think we can do that, there are upgrades coming for the next few races but not here, so we’re looking forward to that.”

A year removed from an impressive rookie season, Zhou said he was trying to “raise a little bit my game in terms of improving performance”.

Acknowledging that his one-lap qualifying pace wasn’t as good as it needed to be last year, he also pointed to the step up the team had taken when it came to consistency.

“This year we’ve definitely been, let’s say, a lot more to the point, compared to where we were last year – but we’re definitely missing a little bit of performance in general,” he said.