After his exit from Sauber at the end of 2024, Zhou Guanyu found a lifeline to keep his F1 career going with a call-up from Ferrari. While the Scuderia had signed Lewis Hamilton to team up with Charles Leclerc, they wanted Zhou to join as a reserve driver. Regardless, it gave the Chinese driver a golden opportunity to rub shoulders with the seven-time champion.
The 25-year-old seems to be taking an active role in reserve driver duties at the Italian outfit. More importantly, though, Zhou is gaining a lot from interacting with Hamilton and observing him in Ferrari red.
“He just feels like a teammate of yours – it’s as simple as that. It’s actually very easy. Lewis is a very humble guy, always asking the team for a lot of information,” Zhou said to Formula 1.
While many feel that the Chinese driver may never return to F1 in a full-time driver’s capacity, Zhou is optimistic about improving himself by working closely with Hamilton at Ferrari and mounting a comeback to the grid.
“Even though he’s been a World Champion for so many years, he still wants to improve himself, which for me as a younger driver, I really felt that this is the way to go – also for myself in the future, if I can come back,” he added.
Zhou isn’t a stranger to the Ferrari environment as he was part of their Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018. However, Hamilton’s presence has certainly elevated his experience at Maranello.
Ferrari hired the first-ever Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu and his sponsors…to offset some of their costs of hiring superstar driver Lewis Hamilton.
I doubt we will ever see Zhou race for Ferrari in Formula 1. pic.twitter.com/1rsQgqq4N3
— Kunal Shah (@kunalashah) February 5, 2025
But how realistic is Zhou’s return to the grid? Last season, the Chinese driver struggled to make an impact with Sauber, who were stuck at the back with an abysmal car.
Even though he scored their only points finish in Qatar, he spent most of the races running towards the back end of the grid. So, Zhou doesn’t have the form to back up his ambitions of an F1 return even if he approaches any team with a vacant seat for 2026 or beyond.
Still, Sauber’s poor form over the past two years and Zhou’s decent rookie season, where he secured a handful of points finishes, could work in his favor for a potential full-time seat. Some testing and FP1 appearances with Ferrari could also help enhance his reputation in the paddock as a reliable driver.
Plus, F1 remains eager to expand further into the Chinese market. With Zhou’s solid sponsorship backing from China, some teams may be willing to take a chance on the 25-year-old from Shanghai.
