Last Updated on January 3 2026, 8:24 am

Ferrari ends Zhou Guanyu’s F1 career early – Ferrari has parted ways with reserve driver Guanyu Zhou with immediate effect, bringing his brief and rather uneventful tenure at the team to an abrupt end. The Scuderia confirmed the decision on Friday, announcing that Zhou’s contract as a test and reserve driver for the 2025 season had been terminated. For Zhou, who joined Ferrari at the end of 2024, this dismissal raises uncomfortable questions about whether his Formula 1 career has come to a natural end.

“We are grateful for Zhou Guanyu’s commitment and contribution as Ferrari reserve driver this season! We wish him all the best for the future,” Ferrari wrote in a brief farewell message on social media. Polite, professional, and final. There was no suggestion of future cooperation, nor any indication that Zhou might remain part of Ferrari’s wider development structure.

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A return to Maranello that didn’t last

Zhou’s move to Ferrari at the end of 2024 was seen by many as a sensible regrouping exercise. After three seasons as a race driver with Sauber, his Formula 1 career had plateaued, but a reserve role at Ferrari offered stability, visibility and the prospect of a fresh start. Instead, that opportunity ended almost as quickly as it began.

This was, in fact, Zhou’s second stint with the Scuderia. Between 2014 and 2018, he was part of Ferrari’s junior driver programme, progressing through the lower categories before eventually leaving the Maranello pathway. His return, more than six years later, felt symbolic, a full-circle moment for a driver still hoping to re-establish himself at the top level of the sport.

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Breaking barriers in Formula 1

Regardless of how his career now unfolds, Zhou’s place in Formula 1 history is secure. In 2022, he became the first Chinese driver to compete in the championship, making his debut with Sauber while they were still operating under the Alfa Romeo banner. The significance of this milestone extended far beyond the paddock, opening new commercial and cultural doors for the sport.

His debut season was respectable. Zhou scored points on his very first outing, finishing tenth in the Bahrain season opener, and achieved further top-ten results in Montreal and Monza. Calm, consistent and rarely spectacular, he established himself as a solid midfield driver rather than a headline act.

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A gradual fade at Sauber

Zhou’s second season followed a similar pattern, with three more points finishes. While not eye-catching, his performances were generally dependable. However, the trajectory changed in 2024. As Sauber struggled competitively and began restructuring ahead of Audi’s takeover, results dried up. Zhou scored points just once all season.

For 2025, Sauber opted for a clean break. Both Zhou and his experienced teammate Valtteri Bottas were released and replaced by Nico Hülkenberg and the highly rated rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Zhou was left searching for alternatives, with Ferrari’s reserve role emerging as the most credible option.

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The Cadillac door also closed

Throughout the 2025 season, Zhou made no secret of his ambition to return to Formula 1 as a full-time driver. His links to Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon fuelled speculation that he could secure a seat with the new American project. For a time, Zhou was considered a strong candidate.

However, that hope has now evaporated. Cadillac ultimately decided to go in a different direction, and Ferrari’s decision to release him leaves Zhou without an obvious route back to the grid. At 26, he is young by Formula 1 standards, but opportunities are scarce and competition is fierce.

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What next for Zhou?

Zhou Guanyu’s Formula 1 story may not be officially over, but it is clearly at a crossroads. Without a reserve role or confirmed future project, his chances of returning look slim. Other categories, such as endurance racing, Formula E or a high-profile role in Asia, may now offer a more realistic path forward.

For a driver who once carried the weight of history on his shoulders, this feels like an understated ending. Ferrari’s brief statement closed the door quietly but decisively. Whether Zhou can find another way back remains to be seen. For now, his Formula 1 dream appears closer to its end than its revival.

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Guanyu Zhou – Career Path Before Formula 1

Karting (–2014)

• Began his international rise in karting with Strawberry Racing, based in Sheffield.

• 2013:

  • Won the Super 1 National Rotax Max Junior Championship.

  • Claimed the Rotax Max Euro Challenge (Junior) title.

• Final karting season:

  • Finished second in the Rotax Max Senior Euro Challenge.

  • Competed in selected rounds of the WSK Champions Cup and KF2 European Championship.

  • Made his only Karting World Championship appearance, racing for Ricky Flynn Motorsport.

  • Teammates included Lando Norris and Jehan Daruvala, highlighting the level of competition he faced early on.

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Formula 4 (2015)

• Graduated to single-seaters with Prema Powerteam in the Italian Formula 4 Championship.

• Dominated Round 2 at Monza, winning all three races.

• Finished the season as:

  • Vice-Champion

  • Best Rookie

• Also competed part-time in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship:

  • Secured two podiums at Spielberg and Spa.

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FIA Formula 3 European Championship

2016 – Motopark

• Entered FIA F3 with Motopark.

• Strong opening rounds at Paul Ricard and Hungaroring, scoring two podiums.

• Struggled for consistency in the second half of the season.

• Finished 13th overall in his rookie F3 campaign.

2017 – Prema Powerteam

• Returned to Prema for a second F3 season.

• Marked improvement:

  • Finished 8th in the championship

  • Scored five podium finishes

• Notable highlight:

  • Led Race 3 at Spa, successfully fending off pressure from Lando Norris.

2018 – Prema Powerteam

• Stayed in F3 for a third year despite speculation of an F2 move.

• Achievements:

  • First career win at Pau

  • Additional win at Hockenheim

  • Three consecutive podiums at Zandvoort

  • Three pole positions across the season

• Title challenge derailed by:

  • Four consecutive retirements due to collisions and punctures

• Finished 8th in the standings, despite flashes of title-level pace.

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FIA Formula 2

2019 – UNI-Virtuosi

• Joined UNI-Virtuosi Racing alongside Luca Ghiotto.

• Highlights:

  • First F2 podium in Barcelona (Feature Race)

  • Podium in Monaco Sprint Race

  • Took his first F2 pole position at Silverstone, becoming the first Chinese driver to do so

  • Podium finishes at Paul Ricard and Abu Dhabi

• Finished:

  • 7th overall

  • Awarded the Anthoine Hubert Award as the highest-placed rookie.

2020 – UNI-Virtuosi

• Partnered Callum Ilott.

• Took pole position at the season opener in Austria but lost victory due to technical failure.

• Claimed his first F2 race win in Sochi.

• Season record:

  • 6 podiums

  • 6th in the championship

2021 – UNI-Virtuosi

• Entered third F2 season with Felipe Drugovich as teammate.

• Strong start:

  • Pole and Feature Race win in Bahrain

  • Sprint race win in Monaco

• Mid-season setbacks included mechanical failures and incidents.

• Finished strongly:

  • Wins in Silverstone Feature Race and Abu Dhabi Sprint Race

  • Second place in the Abu Dhabi Feature Race

• Final standings:

  • 3rd in the championship

  • 4 wins, 1 pole, 9 podiums

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F3 Asian Championship (2021 Winter)

• Competed with Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema.

• Dominated the series:

  • Champion

  • 4 wins

  • 5 poles

  • 11 podiums

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Formula 1 Development Path (Pre-Race Driver)

• Joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2014.

• Left Ferrari at the end of 2018.

• Joined the Renault Sport Academy in 2019.

• Roles with Renault/Alpine:

  • Development Driver (2019)

  • Test Driver (2020)

• Conducted extensive F1 testing in Renault machinery across multiple circuits.

• Won the Virtual Grand Prix Bahrain event during the COVID-19 shutdown.

• Made his first official Formula 1 weekend appearance in FP1 at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix with Alpine.

 

 

NEXT ARTICLE – FIA plans to reduce the power of the manufacturers

There is grave concern at the FIA over how the all new 2026 Formula One power units will perform. In a desperate bid to prevent an epic failure in the racing spectacle, F1’s governing body convened an emergency meeting with the manufacturers in Bahrain to correct the ‘over optimistic’ power output from the hybrid side of the new engines.

Concerns were first raised by Christian Horner in 2023 that the all new specification of power units would create “Frankenstein monsters” due to an over reliance on electrical output. Almost two years later the FIA’s pow wow in Bahrain sought to address this issue.

The problem is that at a number of circuits where braking is limited and the straights are long, that the cars will be incapable of generating enough electrical charge to deliver the mandated 50% of power output.

 

Concerns electrical output overstated

This would result in cars ruing out of electrical charge towards the end of the straights, visibly slowing the cars as they approached the next turn. The spectacle could be disastrous for the fans and the series would descend into farce.

Yet any reduction in the amount of electrical output had to be agreed by all but one of the PU manufacturers and such agreement could not be found. The result was both the FIA and FOM issuing statements suggesting the current F1 power cycle could be truncated and a return to V*’s introduced before even 2030.

Foiled by their attempt to introduce what would be a mere software adjustment for all the teams, the FIA issued a dictate in August which outlined how they would prevent F1 becoming a farce or dominated by a single manufacturer who has aced the new PU regulations.

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