Cadillac has announced that Zhou Guanyu has joined the team as reserve driver for its debut season.

Zhou joins Valtteri Bottas - whom he partnered throughout his stints at Alfa Romeo and Kick Sauber - and Sergio Perez, not forgetting test driver Colton Herta, who will compete in Formula 2 with Hitech this year.

Shanghai-born Zhou, who is China's first and only F1 driver, began his 68-race F1 career in 2022 with Alfa Romeo, for whom he scored points three times, including on his debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Having developed a reputation as a fast and hard-working team player, he continued with the outfit in 2023 when he also scored points on three occasions. He remained with the team when it became Kick Sauber in 2024, and claimed its only points finish of the year in the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old also brings valuable experience from his time with Ferrari, which will supply Cadillac with its power unit and gearbox in 2026. Zhou completed various trackside, simulator, and Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programs for the Italian outfit in 2025 as reserve driver, acquiring relevant and recent experience ahead of his new role with Cadillac.

As a junior driver, Zhou was recognized as a standout talent. He collected 20 podium finishes, including five victories, across a three-year stint in Formula 2, which culminated in third place in the standings in 2021, when he also won the F3 Asian Championship by claiming four victories and five pole positions. He boasts wins in the highly regarded Formula 3 European Championship and Italian Formula 4 Championship, finishing second in the latter in 2015.

"I am delighted to join Cadillac ahead of its Formula 1 debut," said Zhou. "This is one of the biggest and most exciting new projects that the sport has ever seen.

"I have worked with both Graeme (Lowdon) and Valtteri for many years in various capacities, so joining the team feels like rejoining family. Having had recent experience on track and in developing the cars off track, I know I can add huge value to the team, and I am looking forward to supporting them the best way that I can."

"Our process for selecting a Reserve Driver has been as thorough as the search for our Race Drivers," said Graeme Lowdon. "We wanted a candidate who had recent F1 driving experience, is prepared to work hard as part of a team and understands the challenges of developing a car throughout the season. Zhou fits the bill perfectly. He will be a great asset to us as we go racing in 2026 and we look forward to him being an integral part of our team."

"I'm excited to welcome Zhou to the team," added Dan Towriss, CEO of Cadillac Formula 1 Team Holdings. "He will be an excellent addition to complement Valtteri and Checo; talented, personable and respectful of the hard work and commitment it will take for us to achieve our ambitions.

"I'm excited by our complete driver line-up - alongside Colton, we have a hungry, fast and collaborative group to make our 2026 debut."