Zhou made his F1 debut with the then Alfa Romeo-branded Sauber team back in 2022, memorably scoring points in his first-ever race and establishing himself alongside multiple Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It proved to be third time unlucky last year, though. After an early highlight with his first Grand Prix outing on home soil in China, which involved a gutsy Sprint display, he spent many a weekend running toward the back of the field alongside Bottas \u2013 the pair unable to make an impression aboard the disappointing C44.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was not until the penultimate round in Qatar that Zhou dragged his car to eighth position and scored Sauber\u2019s only points of the campaign, at which point it was too late to save his seat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cLike I always said, when there wasn\u2019t a seat available on the grid, my priority was trying to find somewhere I\u2019m happy, where I can put myself into an important role as well. There's no better place to be than joining Ferrari. On the other side of things, I\u2019m happy that I can take a year \u2018off\u2019, mainly from the year I had in 2024, because it was draining inside and out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI feel like a lot of drivers have taken a step back and then [returned] to the grid, and certainly that\u2019s a long-term goal. In the short-term, I\u2019m just trying to be as good as I can with my role, and I don\u2019t feel like it\u2019s a step down,\u201d said Zhou to F1.com<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite not having a grid on the seat, Zhou is excited at the prospect of working with one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI feel like a lot of drivers have taken a step back and then [returned] to the grid, and certainly that\u2019s a long-term goal. In the short-term, I\u2019m just trying to be as good as I can with my role, and I don\u2019t feel like it\u2019s a step down,\u201d said Zhou to F1.com<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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