“First, find the performance and assess exactly what the upgrades in Austin are. That’s very much needed,” he explained. “And getting things in order for the future is definitely high on my priority list. It’s starting to get a little bit like the Christmas season. It’s coming up, so it’s better to get things in order.”
Zhou was similarly upbeat after crossing the line slightly ahead of his teammate, and said the team had “given their best effort” after finishing a lap behind winner Lando Norris.
Read more: Sauber to make call on second driver ‘in the coming weeks’ as team evaluates options
“I think it’s a very strong pace compared to the first lap,” he said. “I’ve always been stronger in the race than in qualifying this year, because I’m having a hard time finding my comfort zone in that car.
“The race was a good pace, we were similar to Stroll and showed teamwork at the end. I tried to give DRS to Valtteri so Pierre couldn’t pass him. It was a great achievement to manage the timing well at the back and manage it well until the end.”
