Guanyu Zhou has admitted that during his final season with the Audi-owned Sauber team, he "lost hope" about his future in Formula 1.
The first-ever Chinese driver in F1 spent three years with the Hinwil-based outfit after making his debut in 2022. However, like teammate Valtteri Bottas, he was replaced at the end of last season.
For 2025, Zhou is making a return to Ferrari, where he was previously part of the junior driver academy before entering Formula 1.
This year, he will serve as a reserve driver alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.
The 25-year-old revealed that competing in his home race in Shanghai last season was the standout moment of his career and life, especially after the disruptions caused by the Covid era.
"Last year I finally had the chance to race at home," he told Chinese media this week, "but unfortunately we had the slowest car from the start of the season and couldn't even fight in the midfield."
As a whole, Zhou described 2024 as a "season I'd like to forget".
"At the beginning things seemed ok, but after our pitstop issues were resolved I found myself in the slowest car on the grid. Then, after a long period of time, I lost hope for the future."
Despite that, Zhou is still determined to work towards securing a return to the Formula 1 grid.
"I have not yet reached my full potential," he insists.
"So I'm still working towards the future now and there are a lot of rookies on the grid this year so anything can happen. I'm always available and ready to take any opportunity."
