Ferrari is “really interested” in signing current F1 driver Zhou Guanyu for the 2025 season

Zhou Guanyu says Ferrari is “really interested” in signing him as a reserve driver for the 2025 season.

Ferrari has already confirmed its driver line-up for next year, with Lewis Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc’s team-mate.

Chinese driver Zhou was released by Sauber for 2025 after three years with the team. Both Zhou and Valtteri Bottas are out, with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto replacing them.

With no other vacancies available on the grid, Zhou is aiming for a backup role to remain in the spotlight in the F1 paddock.

“We are talking to several teams and of course Ferrari remains one of the teams that are really interested in me,” Zhou said in Las Vegas.

“We have to wait and see, obviously there are a lot of things in the next few weekends that we need to make a decision, but it is clear that we are going through all the options we have and seeing where we are.”

“From my side, I don’t want to commit to the future yet because I want to make sure everything is set and clear and I want to have a big commitment to the next project.

“Hopefully something will be done and decided soon. I think I’ll have a clear idea sometime in the next few weeks.”

The 25-year-old, who has yet to score a point this season, was a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018 before moving to Alpine’s junior program.

Ferrari’s British teenager Ollie Bearman – who represented Sainz in Saudi Arabia in March – is moving to a full-time place at Haas next year but could still be used by the Scuderia if Leclerc or Hamilton are unable to compete.

Zhou is coming off his worst F1 season to date, with Sauber still sitting bottom of the table without a point.

His last two races in Formula 1, at least in his current stint, will take place in Qatar and Abu Dhabi over the next ten days.