Zhou Guanyu is more than just the first Chinese driver to claim a full-time race seat in Formula 1, so here is everything you need to know on the Stake F1 Team Sauber pilot.
The Hinwil, Switzerland squad awarded Zhou his Formula 1 debut at the 2022 Bahrain GP as Valtteri Bottas’ teammate. Sauber saw the potential he had to offer after finishing the 2021 Formula 2 season in third. Only Oscar Piastri and Robert Shwartzman finished ahead of him.
His breakthrough in the pinnacle of motorsport saw Zhou make history as the first – and still only – full-time Chinese F1 driver. Ma Qing Hua previously made history as the first Chinese-born driver to test in an official FIA-sanctioned Formula 1 session for HRT back in July 2012.
Sauber star Zhou Guanyu is the first and only full-time Chinese F1 driver
Further Formula 1 history represents the route of Zhou’s path to the pinnacle of motorsport, as well. His dad took the future Sauber racer to the inaugural Chinese GP in their hometown of Shanghai in 2004. Zhou had no knowledge about Formula 1 before he attended that race.
But watching the likes of Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso battle captured Zhou’s interest. He then started go-karting at the age of seven and began competing at eight. While Zhou and his family moved to England to further his career.
Zhou moved to Sheffield, England at just 12 years old with his mum and dad to live closer to his karting team, Strawberry Racing. He spent most of his time in England with his mum due to his father’s work. The differences of Shanghai and Sheffield were not lost on Zhou, either.
Zhou Guanyu switched Shanghai for Sheffield to boost his karting career
But moving to England ultimately paid off as Zhou won his first karting title in the UK during 2013. Zhou took Rotax Max Junior class honours in the Super 1 National Championship and won the Junior class in the Rotax Max Euro Challenge. They would be his only karting titles.
Fighting for the Senior class in the Rotax Max Euro Challenge also saw Zhou get Ferrari’s eye in 2014. Zhou was the first Asian to join the Ferrari Driver Academy whilst he was 15. While Zhou’s continued rise later saw him join Renault’s driver development programme in 2019.
Zhou left the FDA after seeing out the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship in eighth place. He showed early promise after switching to single-seaters in 2015 by finishing second in the Italian F4 Championship. But Zhou struggled to emerge as a consistent title contender.
Former Ferrari and Renault junior Zhou Guanyu once tasted Formula E
Techeetah also hired Zhou as the Formula E team’s development driver during the 2017/18 season. But Zhou sought to focus his career on the Formula 1 ladder with Renault’s backing by moving to Formula 2 in 2019. He took one pole in his debut season and finished seventh.
Renault would even name Zhou as their Formula 1 test driver in 2020. While he coupled his third term in F2 with UNI-Virtuosi by winning the F3 Asian Championship with Prema and a test role for Alpine. That F3 title and his F2 exploits convinced Sauber to sign Zhou for 2022.
But who really is Zhou and what is the Sauber driver’s life outside of Formula 1 like? Well, F1 Oversteer has taken a look at everything you need to know about the Chinese racing driver…
How old is Zhou Guanyu? What is the Stake F1 Team Sauber driver’s age?
At the time of writing, Stake F1 Team Sauber star Zhou Guanyu is 24 years old. He was born on May 30, 1999 and he experienced Formula 1 for the first time in 2004 at the Chinese GP.
Where was Zhou Guanyu born? What is his nationality?
Stake F1 Team Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu was born in Shanghai, China and became the first Chinese driver to secure a full-time seat racing in Formula 1 when he debuted during 2022.
Zhou Guanyu’s family
Zhou Guanyu has sought to keep details about his family private but his dad is known to be the owner of several businesses in China. His dad and sister also still live in Shanghai. Covid restrictions also meant Zhou did not see his family for over a year until the 2022 British GP.
His father is also believed to be rather wealthy. The Chinese digital publication The Paper in November 2021 suggested that Zhou’s dad had bought a go-karting track when he was only eight years old in 2008 to further his son’s racing career and named it the Guanyu Auto Park.
The Guanyu Auto Park is located in the Weifang, Shandong Province. It was also the largest and most advanced track in the area when it opened. While Zhou’s family also later helped to further advance his career by moving the Chinese gem to Sheffield, England aged just 12.
How tall is Zhou Guanyu? What is his height in feet?
Stake F1 Team Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu stands at 1.75m tall or 5 ft 8 in feet. He measures in marginally under the average height of the 20-strong grid for 2024 of 1.77m or 5 ft 9. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, also measures in slightly under Zhou at a height of 1.73m (5 ft 8).
Zhou Guanyu’s net worth
The Daily Star cited Zhou Guanyu’s net worth to be anywhere between $1-5m (£800k-4m) as of September 2022. But it added that Zhou’s family likely control a much higher net worth in part owing to them owning a car business. Although any precise valuations are not quoted.
How to pronounce Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu clarified how to pronounce the Stake F1 Team Sauber driver’s name during an interview with Blick in February 2022 ahead of his debut on the Formula 1 grid that season.
“In Chinese, Zhou basically means Joe,” he explained. “It sounds similar and is also easy to pronounce around the world.”
Zhou Guanyu’s Formula 1 career stats
As of the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, Stake F1 Team Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu had entered 44 Grand Prix. He had further started each race the Chinese talent had entered. The Shanghai native had also set the fastest lap twice but he only scored points in six Grand Prix.
The post Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu’s life outside of F1 from height to net worth appeared first on F1 Oversteer.