Here’s a wild headline we published today : F1 teenager Kimi Antonelli just got his driver’s license — right on time to replace Lewis Hamilton. You read that right. Antonelli didn’t even have a road license when he was picked as the successor to one of F1’s greatest drivers last fall. Have I ever mentioned that this is a silly sport?

Zhou Guanyu lost his seat at Sauber following the 2024 Formula 1 season, as the team added Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as their drivers for the 2025 season and beyond. But the Chinese driver will still be in the paddock this upcoming season.

Ferrari appointed Zhou Guanyu as a Formula One reserve driver on Wednesday after the Chinese lost his race seat with Swiss-based Sauber.

Ferrari has history of looking to recent F1 drivers to support its race team line-up, having worked with Giovinazzi — the driver Zhou replaced at Sauber in 2022 — in recent years. The team announced last year that one of its reserves, Robert Shwartzman, would not be returning in 2025 after his move into IndyCar.

The first Chinese driver in Formula 1 is heading back to Ferrari as one of its reserve drivers for the 2025 season.

The 25-year-old will split the role of supporting Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with Italian Antonio Giovinazzi.

Ferrari reinstates Zhou Guanyu as a Formula One reserve driver following his departure from Sauber. Zhou, China's first F1 driver, shares the reserve role with Antonio Giovinazzi. He also maintains connections with a new General Motors-backed team planning a 2026 F1 entry.

Zhou Guanyu has been confirmed as Ferraris reserve driver for the 2025 Formula One season, partnering with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Guanyu will share his reserve driver duties with Antonio Giovinazzi at Ferrari, who are looking to build on their second-place finish in the constructors' championship last year