Back in Red: Meet Ferrari’s Reserve Drivers
With all the seats filled for the 2025 Formula One grid, teams rush to fill their reserve driver spots. With Red Bull signing Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda and Mercedes signing their ex-driver Valtteri Bottas, fans were waiting to see who Ferrari would sign. Scuderia Ferrari shocked the world when they signed seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes. The English driver is set to drive alongside Charles Leclerc, who has driven for Ferrari since 2019. Scuderia Ferrari announced today that their reserve drivers will be Antonio Giovinazzi and Zhou Guanyu.
Antonio Giovinazzi has been a Ferrari reserve driver since 2017. During this time, Giovinazzi signed for Sauber, rebranded as Alfa Romeo, in 2019 as a full-time driver before being dropped in 2021 after a collision, but kept his reserve seat. Due to this, Giovinazzi moved to Formula E for a season to continue his racing career. His final big move was to join the Ferrari 499P Hypercar project, where he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside drivers James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi in 2023. With his consistent dedication to Ferarri and his driving skills, it’s clear why Ferrari has consistently kept him as their reserve driver.
On the other hand, Ferrari signing Zhou Guanyu as their second reserve driver shocked everyone. Although Guanyu has a history with Ferrari, when he drove in the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2014 to 2018, his recent performances weren’t the strongest. Guanyu lost his seat at Kick Sauber for the 2025 season, ending his Formula One career. During the 2024 season, the Chinese driver came in 20th after a bad season for Sauber, where Guanyu won the team's only points in Qatar. However, much of his lack of success at Sauber could be due to slow pit stops and bad strategies. Ferrari likely saw this in the driver, recognizing his potential on a team with stronger strategies, making him an ideal reserve driver.
Overall, Ferrari re-signing Antonio Giovinazzi and signing Zhou Guanyu for their reserve team makes sense since both drivers have a clear potential when given a chance with a good team. With both reserve drivers deserving of chances, they’ll be ready to score some points if Hamilton or Leclerc cannot drive. After Ferrari lost the Constructors Championship last season, it’s clear this season they’re focusing on as much point scoring as possible, especially with the help of their reserve team. Next season, fans can expect Ferrari gunning for the World Champion spot, ready to end Max Verstappen’s winning streak and take the Constructors Championship back for the first time since 2008.
