Sauber recently confirmed that Gabriel Bortoleto will join Nico Hulkenberg as part of their new driver line-up for next season, meaning Zhou Guanyu will leave the team at the end of 2024.

The Chinese driver, who started with Sauber in 2022, will step aside along with teammate Valtteri Bottas as the team begins its transition to becoming Audi in 2026.

With no race seats left for 2025 except for one at RB, Zhou and Bottas are both unlikely to race full-time in Formula 1 next year. However, Zhou has said he is open to taking on a reserve driver role in hopes of making a comeback in 2026 when new rules come into play.

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera suggests Ferrari is interested in signing Zhou as a reserve driver to back up Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as their current reserve driver, Oliver Bearman, will be moving to Haas for his first F1 season in 2025, leaving a spot open for Zhou.

This would be a return to familiar ground for the Chinese driver, who was part of Ferrari’s Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018 before joining Renault. If Zhou joins Ferrari, he will also reunite with Frederic Vasseur, the team principal who gave him his F1 debut at Sauber.

While his role at Ferrari would likely be limited to test sessions and special events, it would keep him involved in the sport and ready for future opportunities either in the pinnacle of motorsport or other racing series.