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. The latter has never missed a race since his grand prix debut at the beginning of 2007.
Zhou’s former Sauber team mate Valtteri Bottas has also moved into a reserve driver role this year, with Mercedes.
View the current list of 2025 F1 drivers and teams
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