Zhou Guanyu omits Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen from dream F1 line-up

Zhou Guanyu didn’t pick either Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen in his dream F1 line-up.

Zhou races on home soil for the first time this weekend as F1 returns to China.

F1 hasn’t raced in Shanghai since 2019, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with F1.com, Zhou was asked to pick a dream team.

Unsurprisingly, Zhou opted for childhood hero Fernando Alonso, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri as his second choice

“If I’m running it I’d probably put Fernando there,” he said.

“It might sound a bit boring but I’d probably put Oscar there. I don’t want two world champions in my team, I want one who’s a rising star and one who’s a world champion.”

He added: “Good [for the] budget as well… You’re not paying that much!”

Zhou - and the Sauber team in general - has endured a tough start to the year.

The Swiss-based outfit have yet to score points with pit stop issues hampering their chances.

Zhou is on a poor personal run in qualifying though, failing to beat Valtteri Bottas in the last eight races.

The Chinese driver hopes to make “history” on home turf this weekend.

“I couldn’t be more excited to finally race on home soil in Shanghai,” he said ahead of this weekend.

“To be the first Chinese driver ever to compete in Formula 1 in China means a lot to me – it fills me with immense joy, pride and responsibility. It isn’t just a race for me: after four years off the calendar, the championship finally returns, and with a Chinese driver on the grid, we will write history.”

While points are a clear target: “Most importantly, though, I can’t wait to have a good race and get back to scoring points.”