One of F1’s selling points is that it features the 20 best drivers on the planet, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes, teams will pass up talent for commercial gain.
The introduction of the budget cap has made it easier for midfield and backmarker teams to sustainably compete. But the sponsorship deals attached to hiring certain drivers continue to appeal.
Since the demise of Manor, Caterham and HRT between 2012 and 2016, there have been fewer teams in need of such cash injections to merely survive. Still, speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm says at least one member of the current grid fits the criteria for a ‘pay driver’.
In a purely meritocratic situation, the top drivers in F2 would receive a shot at the pinnacle of motorsport. But the last two second-tier champions – Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich – haven’t been able to find a way onto the grid.
2019 winner Nyck de Vries had to wait until 2023 before his ill-fated debut season with AlphaTauri, and 2021 victor Oscar Piasti spent 2022 on the sidelines. McLaren then hired him to race alongside Lando Norris after an infamous tussle with Alpine.
Scott Mitchell-Malm names driver who got seat for ‘commercial reasons’
In the eyes of Mitchell-Malm, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu isn’t in F1 purely on sporting merit. The 24-year-old is four races into his third season in the sport with Sauber, currently known as Stake F1 Team.
Zhou spent three seasons in F2 before making the step-up, collecting nine wins and 20 podiums. He finished in the top seven in the championship on each occasion, and third in 2021.
He’s the only Chinese driver in F1 history, opening up unique commercial opportunities for the Sauber team. However, Mitchell-Malm maintains that he’s a ‘quality’ racer independent of that.
He said: “Zhou’s a pay driver in a conventional sense. He’s in that seat for commercial reasons, he’s not in that seat for sporting reasons. And I say that as someone who thinks that Zhou’s a very capable driver, he doesn’t discredit himself.
“He’s a good kind of pay driver in that he’s stil a credit to the F1 grid and still deserving of a place. He’s a good, quality driver.”
Will Zhou Guanyu lose his Sauber seat for 2025?
Significantly, Audi have agreed to buy 100% of the Sauber team ahead of their works entry to F1 in 2026. With the backing of the German giant, Zhou’s commercial value may hold less weight.
It’s been a difficult start to the season too. Like teammate Valtteri Bottas, he’s failed to score a single point in the opening four races, but the Finn leads their qualifying head-to-head 4-0.
Indeed, Zhou has started the last three events at the very back of the grid, missing qualifying entirely in Saudi Arabia after an FP3 crash. He’s failed to build on the promise he showed at the opening race in Bahrain, when he narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish.
He’ll also be aware that race-winning driver Carlos Sainz is available after Ferrari dropped him in favour of Lewis Hamilton. Audi are making a concerted effort to sign the Spaniard up, and with Zhou and Bottas both out of contract, it’s conceivable that we could see an entirely new line-up at the team next year.
Zhou collected six points for the team last year, enough to keep them above Haas in the standings. But Mitchell-Malm feels he’s failed to show Audi why they should keep hold of him.
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