Time and available seats are running out for those Formula 1 drivers who haven’t secured a contract for the 2025 season.
The Red Bull group confirmed seats two and three out of their quartet last week, with Sergio Perez continuing alongside Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda sticking with Visa Cash App RB for another year.
It means less than half of the grid is still open for next season and pieces are already beginning to fall into place.
Williams are desperate to sign Carlos Sainz and after confirming that he’ll be leaving Alpine at the end of the year, Esteban Ocon’s next move is likely to be revealed sooner rather than later.
Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was speaking about one driver who might not be so lucky.
Sauber are set to become Audi in 2026 and have already hired Nico Hulkenberg as their first driver for when that takeover happens.
Although his teammate hasn’t been confirmed yet, Zhou Guanyu is likely to need some very unlikely events to take place if he’s going to have a seat on the grid in 2025.
There is one team that the £30,000-a-week driver has been linked with but they have plenty of options at their disposal.
READ MORE: Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu’s life outside F1 from height to net worth
Guanyu Zhou needs ‘extraordinary turn of events’ to earn 2025 F1 seat
The Canadian Grand Prix was another race to forget for Zhou Guanyu and Sauber.
Treacherous conditions throughout the weekend made things difficult for every driver, but even more so when you’re driving the slowest car on the grid.
Zhou had a nasty crash in FP1 that showed just how difficult the car was to handle in mixed conditions.
His performances in qualifying this year have been nowhere near good enough even if this year’s Sauber isn’t up to scratch.
Valtteri Bottas is far more experienced but in his third year on the grid, the gap to the Finn has been far too great.
It didn’t matter in the end as both cars started from the pit lane and he was unlucky to be the latest victim of a woeful Sauber pit stop.
However, it’s looking less and less likely that Zhou will find a seat on the grid for next year.
Zhou has significant backing from sponsors, but he won’t be on Lewis Hamilton’s Christmas card list after potentially denying him his first Grand Prix podium of the season.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future
Time running out for Zhou Guanyu to find a 2025 F1 race seat
Asked if the Canadian Grand Prix ended the chances of Zhou and Logan Sargeant remaining in F1, Mitchell-Malm said: “I don’t think there’s any kind of like binary moment for drivers like that.
“The decisions have already been made to move them on, it’s going to take an extraordinary turn of events for Zhou [Guanyu] to stay at Sauber next year and it’s likewise for [Logan] Sargeant and Williams.
“Williams are actively going around stating they have number one picks and they were [Carlos] Sainz and if they don’t get Sainz they want [Valtteri] Bottas or whoever, but it won’t be him.
“These kind of weekends just underline that. For Zhou, it was a manifestation of all the things that car has done to him in terms of sapping his confidence, bringing out the worst in him, showcasing the worst in the car and just how bad that’s going in his third season.”
Zhou previously came through the Renault academy and their team Alpine have at least one seat to fill for next year.
The Chinese driver has sent a come-and-get-me plea to Alpine but it’s hard to see them taking up that option at this stage.
They want to sign Pierre Gasly up to a long-term deal, while reserve driver Jack Doohan is the favourite to join him.
A strong performance in the upcoming triple header is essential for Zhou otherwise he’ll have to start making plans to race elsewhere next year.
The post ‘Worst in him’: £30k-a-week driver told he needs ‘extraordinary turn of events’ to earn 2025 seat – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.