After an uneven debut season that hinted at Zhou's underlying promise, the Chinese driver was retained for a second season and immediately got off to a stronger start. While he was behind Bottas in Bahrain, Zhou qualified and finished ahead of the Finn in a difficult race for Alfa Romeo in Saudi Arabia.
When both drivers struggled with unexpected balance issues in Melbourne, Zhou outqualified Bottas again and then went on to take his first points of the campaign with a ninth-place finish, the second points haul for the Sauber-run squad after Bottas' eighth place in Bahrain.
