“Back to where it all started”: Zhou Guanyu adds to Lewis Hamilton-Charles Leclerc’s firepower at Ferrari in new role for 2025

The first-ever Chinese F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu, has taken to his social media to announce his new role in the sport as the Ferrari team's reserve driver. Zhou will become a part of the Italian team's reserve roster, joining former Alfa Romeo F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, as well as complete their driver lineup which includes Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Zhou's move to Ferrari marks his return to the Prancing Horses after spending four years in the team's driver academy, from 2015 to 2018. The driver took to his social media earlier today to make the announcement while sporting the team's kit that was recently released.

"🚨 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 ," the driver shared in an X post.

During his time with the team, the 25-year-old made his debut in the F4 Italian Championship with the Prema Powerteam, following which he joined F3, racing for Motopark in 2016 and Prema Racing for the subsequent two seasons.

Zhou Guanyu made his Formula 1 debut in 2022, when he joined the Alfa Romeo team, driving alongside Valtteri Bottas. The two would stay with the team till last year, when they changed their name to Kick Sauber. The duo were announced to be parting ways with Sauber in November of last year, after which it was announced that F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto would be joining Nico Hulkenberg to form the new driver lineup for the team for the upcoming season.

During his time in F1, Zhou Guanyu has had 68 race starts, scoring a total of 16 points over his three seasons in the sport and securing a fastest lap in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

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Zhou Guanyu gives his reasoning on why he wants to be a reserve driver

Zhou Guanyu during the FP3 practice session for the F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix- Source: Getty

After it was announced in November of 2024 that Zhou Guanyu would no longer be a part of the grid for this year, the Chinese driver had already started talking about adopting the role of a reserve driver for one of the other constructors for his next stint in F1. Just before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first race after Sauber's announcement, Zhou was looking ahead. He said (via F1):

“There’s a lot of discussions about the future already. The absolute priority is to try and stay in Formula 1 and try to see what the best options [are], [and the] best team for me to be taking the reserve role."

The 25-year-old also explained why he's aiming for that role, specifying that it woould be helpful to take a year away from the cockpit to re-orient himself, whilst also beign aware that with the number of rookies joining the grid this year, the possibility of an open seat would be fluid. He added:

“Obviously I feel like I’m quite young in the sport, having a good experience. Having a lot of rookie drivers coming to Formula 1 next year, you never know. Seats can easily go right or wrong for people so it definitely opens a little bit of market to continue to stay here [in Formula 1], waiting for another chance and another shot.

“I do feel after a very frustrating season, it’s the right time to take one year away to come together in the next journey, next chapter. For me, obviously I’m looking for that option, looking for where I’m going and nothing’s been decided fully yet."

Zhou Guanyu and Antonio Giovinazzi will be splitting the reserve duties for Ferrari this season, which will begin with the first race in Melbourne, Australia on March 16th.