Cadillac have signed Zhou Guanyu as their reserve driver for their debut F1 season in 2026.
Chinese driver Zhou, who raced in F1 for Alfa Romeo/Sauber from 2022-2024, acted as Ferrari’s reserve last season, playing back-up to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, but did not feature on a race weekend.
The experienced duo of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will form Cadillac’s inaugural driver line-up this year, while Zhou will be present in the paddock as reserve.
Zhou officially left Ferrari last week, but a route to Cadillac always seemed likely given team principal Graeme Lowdon also acts as the 26-year-old’s manager.
“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,” Lowdon said.
“Zhou fits the bill perfectly. He will be a great asset to us as we go racing in 2026."
Zhou was teammates with Bottas for all three of his years on the grid with Sauber, before both were replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas was a reserve with Mercedes last year, while Perez took a year out following his exit from Red Bull.
Zhou added: "This is one of the biggest and most exciting new projects that the sport has ever seen.
"I have worked with both Graeme and Valtteri for many years in various capacities, so joining the team feels like rejoining family."
Cadillac have also signed American driver Colton Herta, but the former IndyCar race winner will drive in Formula 2 this year in an attempt to earn the requisite amount of superlicence points to drive in F1 in the future.
The American outfit, joining as F1’s 11th team this year, will use Ferrari engines until at least 2029. The team will work out of four bases: three in the US (Indiana, North Carolina and Michigan) and one in Silverstone. The 2026 season starts on 8 March in Australia
Their arrival means the F1 grid will have more than 10 teams for the first time since 2016, when Haas joined the sport before Manor Racing folded later in the year.
