Zhou Guanyu will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the back of the grid after suffering a 20-place grid penalty. The Chinese driver picked up two new components after Friday’s race in Baku.

After a difficult start to the weekend, the Sauber team decided to install a new energy storage unit and new control electronics in its machine. Both were outside the permitted limits for the entire season.

Although the penalty was significant, it is unlikely to significantly affect Zhou’s chances of scoring points in Baku. The Sauber team has been falling off the back of the field in terms of performance recently and struggled badly in qualifying.

Even more worrying for Zhou is his direct comparison with his teammate Valtteri Bottas. The 25-year-old has failed to qualify in 15 of the 16 races so far this season, dealing a serious blow to his chances of a new contract with the Sauber team.

Zhou’s racing record is not much better. Bottas has been the highest-placed Sauber driver 11 times this year, although neither has scored a point.

Since second place at Sauber apparently goes either to his teammate Bottas or McLaren junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto, Zhou now has to take a season off.

While other drivers who have left F1 are pursuing careers in IndyCar or World Endurance Championship, Zhou remains fully focused on staying in his current championship, even if it means taking on the role of reserve driver.

“I have to look at the whole project because I think it would be interesting to become a reserve driver if they could promise me a place for the coming seasons,” he said earlier this summer.

“I think that’s something I could do. But other than that, I have to be careful because once you take on that role, some drivers never come back and I don’t want that.”