Sauber confirmed the exit of both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu after the Sao Paulo GP weekend earlier this month. Both drivers had insisted that their priority was to find a spot in F1, even hinting at the possibility of accepting a reserve role, something which Zhou could soon get his hands on.
“The past sometimes returns as the future advances,” Corriere della Serra wrote (translated from Italian) while revealing that Zhou is ‘expected’ to become a Ferrari reserve driver in 2025. The Chinese driver was previously a part of the Italian squad’s academy between 2014 and 2018.
Zhou, who made his F1 debut in 2022 as a promising rookie, is now losing out on a spot on the grid because of a huge influx of talents from F2. Sauber, instead of relying on Bottas or Zhou to partner up with the experienced Nico Hulkenberg, went for 20-year-old Gabriel Bortoleto instead.
Faced with the choice of switching to another racing discipline or taking on a behind-the-scenes role, Zhou opted for the latter. An opportunity arose at Ferrari, as Oliver Bearman, their reserve driver in 2024, secured a full-time seat at Haas.
| According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Zhou Guanyu is expected to be Scuderia Ferrari’s reserve driver for 2025.#F1 pic.twitter.com/OitR7Mf7uJ
— sim (@sim3744) November 16, 2024
As Ferrari reserve, Bearman got the chance to drive for both Haas and the Maranello-based outfit multiple times this season. So, even Zhou—if lady luck sides with him—could find his way back into the grid if he bides his time.
However, the luck factor there would be huge, even bigger than Bearman’s. The 18-year-old was seen as an up-and-coming driver, poised for huge success in the sport. Zhou, on the other hand, lost his credibility by having a rather forgettable F1 career, largely owing to Sauber’s horrid mechanical package.
How Zhou has gradually faded away in F1
Zhou’s time in F1 was far from terrible. He made history becoming the first driver from his country to secure a seat and score points. In his debut season, he showed that he was talented and wasn’t too far off Bottas in terms of performance. However, his form declined in 2023 and took a significant downturn in 2024.
Sauber’s car has been the slowest this year. But even Bottas showed glimpses of brilliance by getting close to Q2 or flirting with the points positions. Zhou, meanwhile, has finished last quite frequently and hasn’t had any standout moments so far. His best result came at the season opener in Bahrain, where he finished P11.
To be fair to the Shanghai-born driver, there wasn’t much he could do with the car at his disposal, even though he struggled to match his teammate. With no points to his name this season, Zhou and Bottas have seemingly become scapegoats for Sauber’s underperforming car, ultimately leading to their exit from the team.
