This month, it was announced that Guanyu Zhou, the world’s first Chinese Formula 1 driver, will not have a spot on the grid next year. After nearly three years with Sauber, the Swiss racing team has chosen a new line-up with Nico Hülkenberg and the Brazilian Formula 2 promise, Gabriel Bortoleto. Guanyu Zhou is reportedly set to take on a reserve role at Ferrari, the team that taught him the ropes between 2014 and 2018.
“I am ready for the next step in my career and look forward to continuing to develop myself,” Guanyu Zhou wrote earlier this month in a press release. It had been in the air for a while, but in the aftermath of the GP of São Paulo, Sauber confirmed that the 25-year-old Chinese will not be on the grid in 2025. Zhou looks back on a colorless season; he never got further than the eleventh place on the grid, a result he achieved in the opening race in Bahrain. Since then, he and teammate Valtteri Bottas, who also does not get a new contract, have consistently been at the back of the pack.
Guanyu Zhou to Ferrari?
However, there is hope for Guanyu Zhou – the Italian Corriere della Sera reports that Ferrari wants to offer him a reserve role in 2025. As such, he would join Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the Scuderia. A surprising development, were it not for the fact that the driver from Shanghai was already part of the Italians’ training program between 2014 and 2018.Ferrari has already had three substitute drivers this season, including former Formula 1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Shwartzman, and Oliver Bearman. The latter will have a permanent role with the Haas team next year. Consequently, the team in Maranello is looking for a new reserve driver. An official press release from Ferrari is awaited.
