£1.5m-year F1 driver called a ‘legend’ after being pictured alongside Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

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The Formula 1 summer break allowed every driver and team to have some time off but work is full steam ahead during the impromptu autumn break before the United States Grand Prix.

The likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull are using this time to build their final upgrades to try and win both championships, while teams at the back of the grid, such as Williams, Alpine and Sauber, know they need to use this opportunity to try and get the jump on their rivals to secure every point possible.

Sauber in particular are in a tough spot having failed to get off the mark in the Constructors’ Championship this season.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have been given a car that’s barely capable of getting out of Q1 at most tracks and even the 10-time race-winning Finn is unable to deliver a performance worthy of a top-ten finish at this stage.

Not only that but ahead of Audi’s full takeover of the team, Mattia Binotto has to try and decide who to partner Nico Hulkenberg with for next season.

Bottas appears to be the favourite to be retained by Sauber, but until an announcement is made, the likes of Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto have been touted as alternatives.

Zhou doesn’t appear to be in the running to race in F1 for a fourth season but has been enjoying his time away from the track.

Posting on Instagram during the break before the United States Grand Prix, Zhou updated his followers on what he’s been getting up to since Singapore.

Former strategist and F1TV pundit Ruth Buscombe called Zhou a legend after being pictured alongside tennis star Novak Djokovic.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner has been taking part in the Shanghai Masters where he was pictured with the Chinese F1 driver.

Ruth Buscombe says Zhou Guanyu and Novak Djokovic are ‘two legends’

Zhou posted on social media with a collection of pictures, simply with the caption: “Recently…”

The 25-year-old was also pictured with Carlos Alcaraz, as well as various animals including his pet cat Sweetcorn.

READ MORE: Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu’s life outside F1 from height to net worth

Buscombe replied to his post and referring to the first photo in the collection, she said: “Two legends”

The £1.5m-a-year driver has to fully focus for the final six race weekends of the season to try and secure an unlikely seat on the grid in 2025.

Ted Kravitz explains what Zhou Guanyu’s next step in Formula 1 could be next year

The only other seat on the grid outside of Sauber that hasn’t been confirmed for next season is at RB.

Given how many drivers the Red Bull group have to choose from, Zhou won’t be in the conversation to be Yuki Tsunoda’s next teammate.

Sky reporter Ted Kravitz believes that Zhou is potentially being lined up to be a reserve driver next year.

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If the 25-year-old wants to stay in the paddock, then that appears to be his best bet at this stage.

However, the likes of Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire may warn him that just being in and around the sport isn’t enough to earn you a seat on the grid.

Zhou has admitted that his qualifying performances haven’t been good enough this year, although it’s hard to blame him entirely for that.

There are serious issues that need to be addressed at Sauber before next year and 2026, when the regulations change and Audi make their long-awaited Formula 1 debut.