No better candidate than ‘very, very fast’ Zhou Guanyu to boost team, Cadillac boss says
Team principal Graeme Lowdon says he would have no hesitation in putting Chinese driver behind wheel in grand prix if need arose
Cadillac F1 boss Graeme Lowdon would have no issue putting the “very, very fast” Zhou Guanyu into the team’s car this year and letting him race if the need arose.
Hours after naming Zhou as Cadillac’s reserve driver, Lowdown said the 26-year-old was the best option for a team preparing for its debut season in a “competitive, unforgiving and absolutely relentless” sport.
Zhou, who has 68 grand prix under his belt, joined the American outfit on Monday, completing an experienced line-up that includes his former Alfa Romeo and Sauber teammate Valtteri Bottas, ex-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and IndyCar’s Colton Herta.
And Lowdon told the Post he had no concerns about egos impacting performance on or off the track, saying they had built “a team of grown ups” all focused on what they need to do.
Faced with a debut in Australia that is fast approaching, the newcomers have placed “a huge emphasis on experience”, something reflected in the appointment of Bottas and Perez, who have 527 F1 starts between them.
“We’ve said before that we’ve selected all of our drivers on merit, on their ability to perform on the track, and Zhou’s no different from that, but with the added benefit of experience, a super-experienced reserve driver,” Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal, said.