Best moment
The Chinese Grand Prix weekend brought some positive moments for Kick Sauber both on and off the circuit, even if this ultimately was not reflected in the final results.
After a close intra-team battle in Saturday’s Sprint, Zhou only just missed out on taking a point by ending the event in P9, while Bottas’ debut Q3 appearance of the year in qualifying was another feel-good moment.
But it was perhaps Zhou’s emotional reaction to racing in front of his home fans for the first time that proved to be particularly special. The 24-year-old – who is so far the only driver from China to have competed in F1 – was given a standing ovation from the crowd when he crossed the line, leaving him overcome with emotion after stepping out of the car.
READ MORE: Fashion, tigers and Alonso’s words of wisdom – Getting to know the real Zhou Guanyu
Worst moment
Pit stop issues were a persistent struggle for Kick Sauber in the early stages of the season, further adding to their woes along with a lack of results. Bottas endured a 52-second visit to the pits in Bahrain thanks to a cross-threaded wheel nut, dropping him down the order to P19.
Similar incidents occurred in Saudi Arabia and Australia, with Bottas missing out on potentially scoring points at the latter after his stop was delayed by around 30 seconds.
Fortunately the team eventually got on top of the issue, but their points drought continued throughout the 14 rounds of the championship so far.