Zhou Guanyu has returned to Ferrari in a reserve driver role after losing his race seat at Sauber.
The first Chinese driver to compete in Formula 1 was previously a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Zhou joined the team in 2015, aged 15, and spent four years on the programme.Zhou then joined Renault’s young driver scheme, which was later rebranded as Alpine. He made his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo (now Sauber) in 2022 and raced there for three seasons before being dropped at the end of last year. He scored Sauber’s only points last season in the Qatar Grand Prix.
“Back to where it all started,” said Zhou in a post on social media. “Thanks Ferrari for believing in me and [I] can’t wait to start this new chapter together.”
He joins Ferrari’s long-standing reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi, also a former Alfa Romeo F1 driver, who now races for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship. Giovinazzi made his last appearance in an F1 race weekend at the United States Grand Prix in 2022, when he crashed during a practice session appearance for Haas.
Zhou replaces Oliver Bearman in Ferrari’s reserve driver roster, as he will make his full-time F1 debut with Haas this year. Bearman made his F1 debut as a substitute for Carlos Sainz Jnr in the second round of last season.
The news means Zhou may be called on if Ferrari needs a replacement for either of its regular drivers, Charles Leclerc and new arrival Lewis Hamilton.
Zhou’s former Sauber team mate Valtteri Bottas, who also lost his race seat at the end of last year, returned to his former team Mercedes in a reserve driver role this year.
View the current list of 2025 F1 drivers and teams
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BasCB (@bascb)
5th February 2025, 10:43
Ha, now who of their regulars is going to sit out a session in China? Then again, Zhou doesn’t qualify for the “young driver” thing, so maybe not (still, would be a missed trick if they didn’t do this there, right)
Jere (@jerejj)
5th February 2025, 10:54
I assume you’re only joking, but the Chinese GP only has a single practice session, so impossible anyway.
BasCB (@bascb)
5th February 2025, 12:20
Yeah, I wasn’t really expecting Ferrari to bench either of them in China (I hadn’t noticed there’s only 1 FP session though – china is one of the “sprint weekends” then?)
Jere (@jerejj)
5th February 2025, 10:58
So, ultimately Ferrari, after all, even though he’d more recently been mentioned regarding Red Bull.
At least he’ll be back in a familiar environment & consequently, Bearman won’t hold a reserve driver role alongside his full-time driver.
His chance for a full-time return is low, though, & reliant on it happening for next year as two or more consecutive years without a full-time drive in F1 effectively means game over for any driver who hasn’t achieved anything & doesn’t have vast experience in the series.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
5th February 2025, 21:55
I think maybe, just based on the loose talk from the commentators that he and Logan Sargeant kind of got shafted, in terms of resources, only difference is Zhou made it to the end of the season and bagged some points. Great to see him w/ a great outfit, and in a good way. After all his family has put in + him, such a relief no matter which way after this. To have been sacked and let go after last year would have been a travesty imo.
SteveP
5th February 2025, 23:17
Yep. Unlike some drivers who haven’t made it into F1 through lack of dedication*, Zhou made the decision some years ago to relocate to the UK** to be involved in FIA feeder series and make all efforts to meet the criteria for a super licence. Thousands of miles away from his family.
Play the game by the rules, no matter the difficulties.
* Sit in their native country and whinge about points value of the series they do compete in
** Sheffield area IIRC
BamBoomBots
5th February 2025, 11:20
Huh, Hamilton has never missed a grand prix from 2007 until now? What was the Sakhir GP then?
Don’t feel like going through all the data but perhaps you meant Leclerc?
Jere (@jerejj)
5th February 2025, 14:15
Even Leclerc hasn’t sat out any round, with the DNS from the 2021 Monaco GP only applying to the race itself rather than the entire event.
However, Hamilton indeed sat out the Sakhir GP, which I also originally intended to point out, but simply forgot to add that reference.
Renee (@renee)
5th February 2025, 20:01
Hamilton missed a GP due to getting COVID in 2020 IRC. So maybe that? Nothing else comes to mind.
MichaelN
5th February 2025, 22:00
This is a great move for Zhou, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it be a step towards participating in the Ferrari and AF Corse WEC program. Zhou is not the quickest driver around, but he’s no slouch either and also dependable. Valuable traits in an endurance racer. As China’s first F1 driver he has a lot of marketing value as well.
Dane
5th February 2025, 23:13
Well that sure puts the pressure on Lewis and Charles!
MacLeod (@macleod)
6th February 2025, 8:07
Lol but those pesky appendix and he is driving an Ferrari …..
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
6th February 2025, 10:56
So he took a tip from MBS regarding hairstyle, and moved from Ferrari power to Ferrari as a “placeholder” to move on to Ferrari/Cadillac and manager/TP. Big deal ,nothing to see here
The poor lil fella story all alone from China is tosh.
SteveP
6th February 2025, 14:24
He did have the good sense to be, apparently, based in God’s Own County. (Yorkshire, for those not in the know) but now he’s got to move to Italy.
An Sionnach
6th February 2025, 21:34
A Briatore like move from Ferrari. If either (or both) driver(s) underperform Zhou or Giovinazzi will be straight in!
Giovinazzi is a mystery to me. What use is he, even as a reserve driver? Perhaps Ferrari should hire Briatore as a consultant? He’d have gotten Colapinto in, or, if the Briatore in Alpine had beaten him to it, Bottas.