Zhou Guanyu will start the Austrian Grand Prix from the pitlane as Sauber has opted to break parc ferme regulations and make set-up alterations to his Formula 1 car.
Zhou endured another challenging outing as he qualified with the slowest time and was eliminated in the opening stage, two-tenths behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Sauber’s choice to alter the Chinese driver’s C44 car prior to the race beginning means he has been condemned to a pitlane start, but he has not lost a single position.
Having struggled over previous rounds leading up to Barcelona last weekend, Zhou reverted to the chassis he was using before Sauber introduced a new one at Imola.
Despite being rooted to the back again under one-lap conditions, Zhou assessed that his Sauber car “felt better general” and “a bit more predictable” since the change.
Meanwhile, Bottas also sustained a premature elimination as he languished in 18th place, with Logan Sargeant’s Williams splitting the two underperforming Saubers.
The Hinwil-based squad stands as the sole remaining team still waiting to land a points finish this term and has an uphill task to end that drought at the Red Bull Ring.
