Out-of-contract driver confirms Ferrari interest with ‘you will see me’ claim

Zhou Guanyu confirms Ferrari talk amid F1 2025 reserve role rumours

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

It means Audi F1 will field an all-new driver lineup for F1 2025 with Zhou and Bottas, team-mates since the start of the 2022 season, dropped by the Swiss-based outfit.

Zhou, who became F1’s first-ever Chinese star almost three years ago after spells in the Ferrari and Alpine academies, has been linked with a return to the Scuderia as the team’s reserve driver over recent weeks.

His chances appeared to receive a boost recently when Ferrari’s current reserve Robert Shwartzman, who will compete in IndyCar next year, announced that he is to cut ties with the Italian manufacturer.

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Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com at last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Zhou confirmed that he is in talks with Ferrari, with his aim to remain in F1 in some capacity next year with the aim of returning to a race seat in F1 2026.

Asked what his next chapter is likely to be, he said: “Just staying in F1.

“It would be in a reserve role, but I don’t know where to go yet. I haven’t decided which decision to make.

“We already spoke to some teams already before the [Sauber] announcement was released, but after the announcement a few other teams approached us, so quite a few good options I see my future with.

“But for me, I feel like I’m in a position where there’s no rush to make a decision because I need to make sure I’m in a team that can give me a chance to have a seat back [on the grid] and also in a team that I can continue to grow as a driver.

“We need to take a bit more time. It won’t be decided very [soon or in the] next months.”

Asked specifically about his links with Ferrari, he replied: “Everybody [would] love to be driving in red, especially for the race seat.

“For the reserve [role], they show some interest so we are discussing it. There’s other options as well, so there’s no one team or the other I would prefer to join.

“I just want to make sure I’m in a team that has a good or competitive car that I can continue to learn and continue to learn for myself, from a driver’s and team perspective.

“And also [a team] trying to get me out there, doing some testing and taking the reserve role to work on the development as well.”

Asked directly if he will be in F1 in some form next year, Zhou replied: “I would say, yeah. I would say you will see me in the paddock. Which colour, I don’t know, so I’ll leave that TBC.”

Zhou went on to reveal that he is no interest in combining his reserve duties with racing in another series in 2025, insisting that his full focus remains on regaining his spot on the F1 grid.

Put to him that he could compete in a different category next year, he said: “At the moment no, because I had the offers and interest in other series.

“But at the moment, I still want to be staying here because I do feel next year, with a lot of rookies joining the teams, there’s a lot of opportunities that could happen for ’26 onwards, so I still want to stay here.

“It won’t be a long period that I try to stay on in a reserve role before I take another series, but I do still try to get [an F1 seat] as much as I possibly can, and hopefully waiting for a good opportunity to come back.

“Some series attract me but I just feel, at this period of my racing career, I still want to give a shot more in this paddock.”

Zhou admitted the deciding factor in his plans will be to viewed as “the priority” alternative if one of the team’s race drivers is unable to compete, with the 25-year-old also seeking test outings to keep himself sharp in the hope of opportunities to return to a race seat for F1 2026.

He explained: “I think it’s going to be if there’s a chance to step into the race car, by any chance, you will be the priority for the team. That’s very important.

“And, also, I think the other thing is that I would love to not just be sitting around or doing simulator.

“I would love to do some test days like a lot of teams are doing. That’s why we need to speak more into details, because obviously I don’t want to do a lot of days, but I do want to be still driving a car, because obviously I’m not doing other series, and I still want to have a body fit for racing in Formula 1.

“That’s the priority.

“The good side of things, I guess, is not a lot of experienced drivers are out of seats. There’s only a few.

“Some of them are not racing in F1 or doing something else, so I think the chances are very high for me and just hopefully I find the place I want to be and hopefully get a chance to finally come back.”