Zhou Guanyu admits he was ‘very lucky’ to walk away unharmed from the 19g crash at Dutch GP

Zhou's long-term future in F1 remains uncertain as he has only signed a one-year contract extension with with the team that to in mid-2022.

Zhou Guanyu admits he was ‘very lucky’ to walk away unharmed from the 19g crash at Dutch GP

Guanyu Zhou exiting the car after Dutch GP crash (Via IMAGO)

During lap 61 of the 72-lap Dutch Grand Prix race at Zandvoort, heavy showers unexpectedly hit the track, leading the entire field to switch to intermediate or full wet tires. However, even with wet tires, drivers encountered significant challenges while navigating the first turn.  Regrettably, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu lost control, slid off the track, and collided with the Tecpro barriers

This incident triggered an initial Virtual Safety Car period, which was later changed to a red flag situation once 65 laps had been completed. Zhou was left grappling in the aftermath of his incident. He had to come to terms with sliding off the track and slamming into the barriers, with an estimated 19g force at Turn One. He feels lucky to walk away without any major issues. 

YouTube video

“I was very shocked with what happened, actually. The rain dropped, I think I was the second car across that heavy rain behind Yuki [Tsunoda] and aquaplaning straight away for half of the straight. I have been a passenger since then. It was a 19g [impact with the barriers], so [I feel] very lucky obviously walking away, no big issue at the minute,” the Chinese driver said, as reported by F1.com. 

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Alpha Romeo is currently P9 in the constructor’s championship table due to the unfortunate incident throughout the season that has cost the team point finishes. Valtteri Bottas is P15, and Zhou Guanyu is P16 in the driver’s championship with five and five points scored, respectively. 

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Zhou Guanyu’s future with Alfa Romeo remains unclear

Alpha Romeo C43
Alpha Romeo C43

In his second year as an F1 driver, Zhou has showcased a more robust performance compared to his teammate Valtteri Bottas in the 2023 season. Despite Bottas maintaining a marginal one-point lead in the current Drivers’ standings, Zhou has proved himself more capable of producing challenging runs in the C43.

Zhou’s long-term future in F1 remains uncertain as he has only signed a one-year contract extension with the team in mid-2022. The team giving more opportunities to F2’s Theo Pourchaire, their test driver, puts him at risk. 

“To be fair, I feel like from the beginning of every year, people try to say this, some people might be in with a chance of taking the seat. What I need to do is prove I belong here, prove that I am improving, that I am making a big step, and then there will be not too much to worry about,” Zhou said about the contract situation. 

He added that he would like to have a much longer F1 contract from next season. Zhou said, “As a rookie, when you arrive, you will be on a one-year contract, but after two years, I do want a little bit of a longer contract.”

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