No, Guanyu-Zhou is not done Formula 1. The Chinese at the 68 Grands Prix with Sauber plan to return to the premier class one day or another. After three years at Hinwil (Switzerland), the 25-year-old driver was not renewed by the Swiss team, which preferred Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto for the 2025 season. Forced to stay on the sidelines in Formula 1, the native has from Shanghai no ambition to look elsewhere. If some rumors associate him with a position as a reserve driver for certain top teams – Ferrari and Red Bull in particular – Guanyu Zhou assures that he will not participate in another championship in 2025.
“Next year I have decided not to participate in a championship anymore. I feel like with all the doors that may open, not just next year but the year after that, I want to make sure that if there's any chance of me competing in a race again or not, I'll be fully available to to do it, so it is very important”explains the Chinese driver, who aims to return to Formula 1 as soon as possible.
Zhou, a Hülkenberg-style design?
The ex-Sauber driver is not afraid to go a whole year without driving or competing, a risk that has paid off for a certain… Nico Hülkenberg, future Sauber-Audi driver, a few seasons past. After leaving home Renault at the end of 2019, the German remained Racing Point/Aston Martin's reserve driver, taking part in a few Grands Prix as a luxury joker during the Covid-19 period, before finding a starting place at Haas in 2023. Guanyu Zhou hopes to follow the same path and isn't worried about being inactive for a season if it puts him in a good position heading into 2026
“I also feel like we have to keep the momentum of the competition, but even if I take this year off, I think everything will be fine. underlines the 25-year-old pilot. I think you with more than a year [sabbatical] starting to lose some of this momentum. So for me, I want to make sure for my next chapter and in a very happy place that I can be fully aware that I have the opportunity to get back here on the grid because I don't think I have done. yet this year I showed my full potential. I want to get another chance, if the opportunity presents itself. » Without forgetting that, in addition to his experience, Guanyu Zhou has the double advantage of his nationality and his sponsors, which could tip the balance in his favor for a possible return in 2026…
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