F1 United States GP: more troubles for Sauber in Austin as Guanyu Zhou receives a penalty. Sauber will face a penalty with Guanyu Zhou in the United States GP at Circuit of the Americas.

In a highly competitive 2024 Formula 1 season, with exciting battles both at the front and in the midfield, there is one team that seems unable to find the right path out of its difficulties. This is Sauber, which will have to serve a penalty with Guanyu Zhou in the United States Grand Prix, set to take place over 56 laps of the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin on Sunday.

So, it’s more bad news for Sauber. With just hours to go until the nineteenth race of the season, the points earned by Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou remain at zero. The situation, especially with Audi’s impending arrival, has been deemed unacceptable by Mattia Binotto, who must find solutions as quickly as possible. The former Ferrari team principal will thus have to address several issues in his new role after leaving the Maranello team.

The reason for Guanyu Zhou’s penalty in Austin

The official announcement of the penalty that Sauber and Guanyu Zhou must serve in the Austin Grand Prix came at the start of the Sprint qualifying session. The reason is that the number 24 car has been fitted with its fourth energy store of the season.

The penalty, like that of Liam Lawson and VCARB, will be served during Sunday’s race and not during the Sprint Race on Saturday in Austin. The New Zealander will face a sixty-position penalty after inheriting the number of components already used up to this point from Daniel Ricciardo.