Ferrari are in need of a replacement for their reserve driver role as Oliver Bearman makes the step into a full-time F1 seat.
The Brit will join Haas in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon, having made three appearances in 2024. Bearman deputised for Carlos Sainz at Jeddah with Ferrari, before replacing Kevin Magnussen at his future team in Baku and Sao Paulo.
The 19-year-old has scored seven points this season having already impressed before his full-time assault at the pinnacle of motorsport next year. With Bearman moving away from a reserve role, Ferrari need to replace him.
The Maranello squad already have two other reserve drivers besides Bearman in Robert Shwartzman and Antonio Giovinazzi. However, it has been reported that Zhou Guanyu is expected to join Ferrari as a reserve driver in 2025 following his axing from Sauber.
Tom Coronel says there are drivers ’10 times better’ than Zhou Guanyu for them to consider as a reserve driver for 2025
The Chinese driver failed to convince Audi that he was worthy of keeping his seat for when the team takes over from Sauber in 2026. Zhou and teammate Valtteri Bottas will depart Sauber at the end of the 2024 season.
Zhou plans to stay in F1 beyond 2025, but he it seems unlikely that he woll ever return to a full-time seat having scored just 12 points from 65 Grand Prix so far.
READ MORE: Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu’s life outside F1 from height to net worth
The 25-year-old comes with significant financial backing and will provide some experience to Ferrari if he does land a role with the team. But Tom Coronel sees the links as ‘pure marketing’ as he believes there are drievrs ’10 times better’ than Zhou that the Maranello outfit should consider.
“There are 10 times better drivers. Yes, a little experience, yes, money. Ferrari does not need money,” he said via RacingNews365.
“It’s just for one thing; [the] Chinese market. Chinese market to sell Ferrari/ Pure, pure, pure marketing, nothing more, nothing less.”
Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas are both looking at reserve driver roles in 2025
Sauber opted for a blend of experience in Nico Hulkenberg and youth in Gabriel Bortoleto for their 2025 line-up as the duo are set to be the first Audi drivers in F1.
This likely spells the end for both Zhou and Bottas in F1, with the current pairing at the Hinwil-based outfit looking at possible reserve driver roles.
Bottas is in talks to become Mercedes’ reserve driver in what would be a return to the Silver Arrows. The Finn won his 10 Grand Prix with the team as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate from 2017 to 2021.
For Zhou, a move to Ferrari would be a great opportunity but there are not the only team supposedly interested in the Chinese driver. Alpine could be another option, given that he previously served as a Renault test driver.
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