Guanyu Zhou has had a challenging season so far as his team has been struggling with constant lack of pace throughout the whole season. Sauber now sits desperately last in the Constructor’s Championship with zero points, which probably won’t change anytime soon.

The team is in the midst of a significant transition as it prepares for Audi’s takeover, set to begin in 2026. In anticipation of this, the team is already laying the groundwork for its future, with Nico Hulkenberg playing a pivotal role in their plans.

With Hulkenberg on board, just one seat remains at Sauber, and multiple contenders are competing for the full-time role.

Unfortunately for Zhou it seems like the free seat will most likely go to his current teammate Valtteri Bottas or potentially to Gabriel Bortoleto, young F2 talent, who is currently leading the series’ championship.

With the situation shaping that way, Zhou spoke about being open to a future outside of F1.

"At the moment, all I can say is that there's already several very good chances, teams in other series [that have] approached me for a drive for next year," said the Chinese driver quoted by RacingNews365.

"But, at the moment, of course, I want to still get the Sauber seat, and if by any chance, I don't have that, we have to think about the rest [of the options available]."

Zhou is open to exploring opportunities beyond the so-called 'pinnacle of motorsport,' as long as it doesn't entirely shut the door on a possible return in the future.

"I think most importantly is that wherever I go, I need to make sure that the goal of F1 doesn't close at that time because I think a lot of drivers still make the comeback [to F1]," explained Zhou.

"So, you want to make sure that the opportunity in another series doesn't close your goal.

"I think you can have a great future in other parts [of motorsport], but at the moment, my focus is still Formula 1. But if the door closes, there will be some decisions to make,” he added.

When the F1 door closes, drivers often tend to try other racing series like IndyCar, which has worked out for former Formula 1 drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, Romain Grosjean or Marcus Ericsson.