BREAKING: ZHOU GUANYU JOINS CADILLAC FOR 2026! THE NEWEST F1 TEAM’S LINEUP FINALIZED
Cadillac F1 makes it official! Zhou Guanyu joins as reserve driver for 2026, reuniting with Valtteri Bottas and Graeme Lowdon.
Cadillac just made it official: Zhou Guanyu will be their reserve driver for the 2026 Formula 1 season. It’s not a surprise—everyone saw this coming—but now it’s locked in. For Cadillac, the sport’s newest team, it’s another smart pickup as they get ready for their big debut.
Zhou’s move comes right after Ferrari announced he’d left their reserve driver lineup. So, that chapter closes fast, and a new one opens with Cadillac. For Zhou, who’s 26 now, it’s perfect timing. He stays right in the mix as Cadillac ramps up for its first season on the grid.
He’s not exactly walking into a room full of strangers, either. Zhou will team up again with Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal and part of Zhou’s management. That familiar face should make things feel a bit like home, even in the middle of a brand-new project.
Last year, there were plenty of rumours that Zhou might snag a race seat. In the end, Cadillac chose proven winners: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Bottas, by the way, was Zhou’s teammate at Sauber for three years. Still, Zhou’s excited about his new role and ready to make a difference behind the scenes.
“I’m delighted to join Cadillac as reserve driver ahead of their F1 debut,” Zhou said. He picked up 16 points during his three years in Formula 1—not a huge haul, but solid experience. “This is one of the biggest and most exciting new projects the sport’s seen. I’ve worked with both Graeme and Valtteri in the past, so joining the team feels like getting back together with family. I’ve got recent track experience, and I know how to help develop the car, so I’m confident I can add a lot of value to Cadillac as they get started.”
Cadillac’s support squad is stacked. Zhou joins test driver Colton Herta and simulator drivers Simon Pagenaud, Pietro Fittipaldi, and Charlie Eastwood. Herta’s got potential, but without a superlicense, he can’t race in F1 yet. That means if Perez or Bottas can’t race, Zhou is the ready backup.
Lowdon, for his part, stressed that picking Zhou wasn’t just an easy option. “We took our time. The process for selecting a reserve driver was just as careful as picking our main drivers,” Lowdon said. “We wanted someone with recent F1 experience, someone who works hard, and someone who gets how tough developing a car can be. Zhou ticks all those boxes. He’s going to be a real asset when we go racing in 2026.”
Zhou will get to work soon, with three preseason tests in Barcelona and Bahrain before the season opener in Melbourne in early March. He’ll have plenty of chances to settle in with the team and get up to speed.
For Cadillac, bringing in a driver like Zhou—experienced, motivated, and already connected to key team members—feels like another bold step as they get ready for their first season in Formula 1.
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
