In its first year of participation in F1, scheduled for the 2026 season, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team willZhou Guanyuofficially announced that he will serve as the team’s reserve driver. The announcement was made from Fishers, Indiana, USA, and Silverstone, UK.
Zhou joins Cadillac’s F1 driver lineup alongside Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and test driver Colton Herta, who will enter Formula 2 with Hitech in 2026.
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Born in Shanghai, Zhou is the first and so far only Chinese driver to compete in F1. He began his F1 career with Alfa Romeo in 2022 and has competed in 68 Grands Prix so far. In his debut season, he scored three points and also placed in the first race at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He recorded three points in 2023, and will remain with the team under the name Kick Sauber in 2024. At the Qatar Grand Prix, they scored the team’s only points of the season.
Zhou, 26, will also bring recent experience from Scuderia Ferrari, which will supply power units and gearboxes to Cadillac in 2026. He served as the Italian team’s reserve driver in 2025, taking part in track programs, simulator work and tests using cars from previous seasons, gaining important technical knowledge before taking up his new role.
In the junior category, he achieved 20 podiums and five wins over three seasons in Formula 2, finishing the 2021 championship in third place overall. In the same year, he won the Asian Formula 3 Championship with four wins and five pole positions. He also has experience in the European Formula 3 Championship and the Italian Formula 4 Championship, where he was runner-up in 2015.
In an official statement, Zhou said he was happy to have the opportunity to join Cadillac’s Formula 1 project and highlighted his close friendship with team members such as Graham Loudon and Valtteri Bottas. According to Zhou, his recent track experience and knowledge of car development will help the team prepare for its first year in F1.
Source and image: Cadillac. This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
