F1 team could make surprise offer to 12-point driver in ‘desperate attempt’ to ‘revive’ road car sales

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Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are among the vehicle manufacturers represented on the Formula 1 grid. While they may publicly say otherwise, their primary objective is to sell road cars.

Winning, of course, aids that effort. It enhances the prestige of the brand in front of a global audience.

But F1 also provides a truly unique marketing opportunity. It visits five continents and 24 different countries, including three stops in the United States and two in the Far East.

In 2022, F1’s global audience reached 1.5 billion, according to Forbes. For many of those, McLaren and Ferrari have become synonymous with their successful racing teams.

Elsewhere, Aston Martin returned to the sport in 2021 as the successor to Racing Point. They hope to be winning world championships in the medium-term future after Lawrence Stroll invested nearly £800m and signed a series of world-class engineers, including Adrian Newey.

Further down the grid, Renault rebranded as Alpine the same year to promote their sports car division. Alpine will relinquish their works team status in 2026 when they start buying Mercedes engines, but Audi will effectively replace them on that list.

Audi’s struggles in the Chinese market could be a lifeline for Zhou Guanyu

Audi is owned by Volkswagen, who have ‘bet on’ the Chinese market with disastrous results. The plan has turned into a ‘fiasco’, contributing to the seismic closure of three factories in Germany.

That’s according to AutoHebdo, who view Zhou Guanyu as a potential solution. Zhou is out of contract at the end of the season and is expected to lose his place on the grid.

However, Audi could harness the ‘incredible popularity’ of Zhou in his homeland by re-signing him alongside Nico Hulkenberg for 2025. This would be a ‘desperate attempt’ to ‘revive’ global sales.

This could explain why the team have taken so long to name their second driver. They confirmed the signing of Hulkenberg in April, but discussions continue behind the scenes six months later.

Could Liberty Media help Zhou Guanyu stay at Sauber?

Zhou is the first full-time Chinese driver in F1 history. The race in Shanghai returned to the calendar in 2024 after a five-year absence, and Zhou’s grandstand sold out in four minutes.

Even though he finished 14th in the race, organisers designated a special parking spot for the 25-year-old on the grid. Jolyon Palmer felt Zhou’s celebrations were excessive, but they underlined the adoration of the fans.

His third season in Formula 1 has been undeniably difficult. Often driving an inferior car to Valtteri Bottas – who’s had priority when it comes to upgrades – he hasn’t been able to add to his career tally of 12 points.

But commercial rights holders Liberty Media may want Zhou on the grid in 2025 after what they witnessed in April. This, combined with VW’s predicament, means a new contract shouldn’t be ruled out.