Guanyu Zhou Targets Cadillac’s Debut Amid Managerial Link
Dec.1 - Guanyu Zhou might have a real chance at a race seat with the new-in-2026 Formula 1 team Cadillac.
The Chinese driver, who like his current Audi-Sauber teammate Valtteri Bottas has lost his race seat for 2025, claimed days ago that Ferrari is "very interested" in signing him as a reserve driver.
Zhou, 25, is a former Ferrari academy driver - but it is another existing connection that could pave his return to the grid for 2026.
"Zhou is hoping for a seat on the new Cadillac team, with Ferrari power, in 2026," claimed highly respected Swiss journalist Roger Benoit, writing for Blick.
"The reason is simple," Benoit added. "Zhou's manager, Graeme Lowdon, is to become team boss for the Americans. He was previously the team boss of Marussia in Formula 1."
F1 has now approved General Motors-backed Cadillac to become the sport's twelfth team, perhaps partly due to the Andretti name sliding into the background.
The existing teams, however, remain concerned about the dilution of F1's distributed commercial revenue. It is believed the usual $200m 'anti-dilution' fee for new teams has been significantly increased for Cadillac - up to about $450 million or more.
"I don't have much information about it, to be honest," Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack said. "I think we just have to trust F1, the FIA, on how this is going to go.
"I don't know about what payments are being made or have to be made," he added.
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His chances depend largely on how much GM-Cadillac care about the Chinese market, given he doesn't have a lot of F1 racing experience like Bottas, Magnussen, or Ricciardo, for example.
Btw, I didn't know that former Marussia-Manor TP Graeme Lowdon was his manager.
Additionally, GM-Cadillac's arrival will increase the team amount to 11 rather than 12.
Always thought Graeme Lowdon was a smart guy even back when the illfated Marussia team were about, so no big suprize hes involved in the team, as for Zhou not a hope in hell Imo
I also think he doesn't truly stand a chance.
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