Zhou and Kick Sauber have endured a troublesome final season together, with his 11th place result at the opening event in Bahrain still his best finish of the campaign.

But he emphasised that, despite a trying season, he has fond memories of his three-year spell with the team, including becoming the first Chinese driver to race at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in 2024.

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“My debut – I still remember that day, it was very special,” Zhou began when listing his highlights.
“Then I think probably after that, the second year, qualifying P5 in Budapest. That was just feeling like everything was coming the right way, and then this year I think the highlight would be the home race just because the event itself is very special in a way.

“If I were to pick one special moment I would definitely go for the home race, not just because of the result or anything like that. The atmosphere, the feeling inside myself over that whole weekend, it’s just so different to other places. I’ve dreamed of being in this paddock but when you’re here, it’s a bit frustrating that there was no home race for two years. I worked so hard to get a home race and you see the crowd, how motorsport is growing back home – I’m just very proud of that and that was very memorable.”