After three seasons racing for Alfa Romeo and Sauber, Zhou Guanyu may have thought his time in the Formula 1 paddock was coming to an end in 2025.
Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were both replaced by Sauber at the end of 2024 to make space for Haas star Nico Hulkenberg and Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.
However, Zhou always wanted to stay in Formula 1 and was linked with several roles up and down the paddock.
Red Bull reportedly held an interest in Zhou as a reserve driver as he could have aided Arvid Lindblad’s development behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Ferrari had signed Zhou to share reserve driver duties with another former Sauber driver: Antonio Giovinazzi.
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2025 @ScuderiaFerrari reserve driver!Back to where it all started, thanks Ferrari for believing in me & can’t wait to start this new chapter together! 😃 #TeamZHOU pic.twitter.com/cEX467Huyq
— 周冠宇 | Zhou Guanyu 🇨🇳 (@ZhouGuanyu24) February 5, 2025
It means the 25-year-old’s Formula 1 career might not be over yet, despite scoring just 16 points in 68 Grand Prix starts.
It’s not the greatest record, but Zhou did outscore the more experienced Bottas in 2024, with his eighth-place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix earning him plenty of plaudits.
Guenther Steiner says Zhou only had one good race in 2024, but his work was cut out by a disastrous Sauber car.
Zhou could be called upon by Ferrari if either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc are unavailable to race this year.
As new Haas driver Oliver Bearman will attest to, that unlikely scenario can crop up more often than some people think.
Lewis Hamilton once hailed ‘really great’ Zhou Guanyu as Ferrari announce reserve driver
After qualifying for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix where Zhou secured a career-best P5 position on the grid, Hamilton approached the Chinese driver during the pre-race lap of the track.
He said to the then-Alfa Romeo driver, ‘Great job yesterday, man! Really great job!’, to which Zhou quickly replied, ‘Have a good race!’
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Hamilton started on pole position that day – his most recent to date – but couldn’t prevent Max Verstappen from securing yet another pole position to add to his collection.
Zhou came home in 16th after having a poor start and hitting Daniel Ricciardo which set off a chain reaction that forced both Alpine drivers to retire.
Although the race didn’t go to plan for Zhou, it showed a glimpse of the talent that Ferrari believe may come in handy this season, re-signing the Chinese driver who was part of their driver academy between 2014 and 2018.
Zhou Guanyu once heralded Lewis Hamilton’s impact on Formula 1
Zhou, speaking to Crash in 2022 during his debut F1 season, said about Hamilton: “The way he was dealing with the pressures, is insane.
“I feel like what Lewis experienced in some stages, I experienced at the beginning of the year before the first race. So I can feel how tough he went through it. He’s been through that while he was fighting for several F1 titles.
“For me, I know I’m not going to be fighting for the title, maybe to score points [to] get the best out of my car. So big respect to him.
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“Especially in F1, the hardest competition, to be winning seven years is crazy. Doesn’t matter if you have the best car; still winning is not easy.
“He congratulated me after Bahrain and we sometimes stay in touch.
“Not knowing him for long, I think it’s the first time I’ve actually got to know him, this year. Obviously, advice he wouldn’t give me, because it’s a competition.
“But he’s been very much on my side, and he knows what I’ve been through because it’s kind of similar.”
Zhou will hope that he can learn as much as possible from Hamilton and Leclerc over the next year.
He’ll be aiming for a return to the grid in 2026 and while it’s very unlikely that will come via the Scuderia, their connections in the paddock might do him a favour.
