Zhou Guanyu has completed his fairytale return to Ferrari, signing to be the Italian constructor's test and reserve driver alongside Antonio Giovinazzi for the 2025 campaign.

The Chinese racer was dropped by Sauber in 2024 after a challenging season, although Zhou did score the Hinwil squad's only points of the season in Qatar, equalling his career-best finish with a P8 in Doha.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, with just seven top-10 finishes under his belt over the course of his three seasons in F1, Zhou was unable to secure a full-time drive for the 2025 campaign.

However, thanks to Ferrari, the Chinese racer will remain in the paddock next year in a reserve capacity. He rejoins the team with whom he progressed through the feeder series ranks as an academy driver.

Ferrari released a statement on Wednesday, reading: “Zhou Guanyu is taken on as a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari HP alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, who continues in this role. For the Chinese driver, it is something of a homecoming, as he spent four years with the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy from 2015 to 2018.”

“Zhou shares the reserve driver role with Antonio Giovinazzi, who has worked with Scuderia Ferrari HP since 2017. The Italian will also continue to race in the World Endurance Championship in the number 51 Ferrari 499P, with which he won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Zhou isn't the only departed Sauber driver taking up a reserve driver role in 2025. Valtteri Bottas has re-signed for Mercedes after Mattia Binotto opted to bring in Gabriel Bortoleto as Nico Hulkenberg's new team-mate.

The Finnish star spent five seasons with the Silver Arrows before departing after the 2021 campaign but was hamstrung by middling to poor equipment during his three years with Sauber.

"Part of the role of Valtteri will be to have a look on Kimi [Antonelli]," Mercedes chief Toto Wolff explained to RacingNews365. "Be there to coach, be there to have an eye on what's happening on the track. And Kimi is going to learn from Valtteri and from George [Russell].”