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Zhou Guanyu returns to F1 as Ferrari reserve driver for 2025

Writer's picture: Caitlyn GordonCaitlyn Gordon

Updated: 7 days ago

Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri


Ferrari’s F1 team announced former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu as one of its reserve drivers for 2025, with Zhou sharing the duties alongside Antonio Giovinazzi at the Italian team. 


Zhou joins Ferrari as a reserve driver, alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.
Credits: Scuderia Ferrari

Zhou made his F1 debut in 2022, becoming the first Chinese driver to grace the sport. He secured his first championship point with the team at the season opener in Bahrain, finishing tenth on the road. 


A difficult 2024 season for the Sauber outfit saw Zhou score the only points for the team in Qatar, finishing eighth. Sauber, who will be transitioning into Audi from 2026, opted for a new driver pairing for the 2025 season, with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto joining the Swiss outfit for the new era.


Zhou was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy back in the early stages of his career, working with the Prancing Horses from 2014 to 2018. He finished second in the 2015 Italian F4 Championship.


He later parted with the team in 2018 to join the Renault Sport Academy, before making his F2 debut a year later. Across his three-year stint in the series, Zhou accumulated four wins and a further five podiums. His strong performance convinced then Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur, who later signed him in 2022.


Zhou raced for Sauber for three seasons.
Zhou scored Sauber's only points of the year in Qatar with P8 | Credit - Sauber Group

Now out of a full-time seat, Zhou was a front-runner candidate for a reserve driver with top teams who wanted a strong and stable driver to fall back on, if either of their drivers were unable to race. 


In 2024, the reserve driver role was crucial, with Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman jumping in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia after the Spaniard suffered from appendicitis. Later, Bearman jumped in for Kevin Magnuseen on two occasions, with the Briton securing points for Haas in Asia. 


Following the announcement of Ferrari confirming its reserve drivers, the team also have another option in their pool of drivers, being able to opt a sub-in for Haas bound Bearman if they wished.


Alongside stars on the bench for the 2025 season, Bottas returns back to Mercedes in a reserve driver role. After leaving the team in 2022 to pursue different opportunities with Sauber, the Finn returned back to Brackley to provide support and an excellent back-up option to Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.


Sharing the duties alongside him will be ex-F1 driver Giovanazzi, who worked with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. 


The Italian will continue to represent Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship, having won the prestigious 24-Hours of Le Mans with the team back in 2023. Ferrari will need to look outside its reserve drivers for the four compulsory rookie FP1 sessions, though.


Dino Beganovic is a top pick, with the Swede having stepped into an F1 car for the first time during Ferrari’s private testing session in Barcelona. Sim driver Arthur Leclerc who debuted in Abu Dhabi’s FP1 session is another name Ferrari can call upon.



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