Zhou Guanyu has failed to hit the headlines over his three-year stint in Formula 1, not consistently challenging his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
The Chinese driver stepped up to the highest level after a competitive junior career, winning races in Formula 2.
Zhou moved into Formula 1 with the assistance of his sponsors, who gave him financial backing in his junior career.
He has struggled to match his teammate over the past few seasons and endured particular struggles in qualifying, failing to extract the most from his car over a single lap.
This lack of raw speed led to Zhou’s exit from the team as Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg will partner at Sauber in 2025.
Lawrence Barretto wrote on the official Formula 1 website that the Chinese driver has options for the next stage of his career, including Formula E.
Zhou Guanyu would prefer to race in a championship than ‘act as a reserve for a Formula 1 team’
Zhou is highly unlikely to return to the Formula 1 grid for the 2025 season, as very few seats are available for next year.
Sauber now have both drivers confirmed, and although RB are looking for a driver, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto are the main contenders.
An option for Zhou could be staying in single-seaters in Formula E, allowing him to keep racing rather than sit on the sidelines in the F1 paddock.
READ MORE: Nyck de Vries ‘surprised’ by Formula E driver market as 2024-25 season approaches
Barretto explained that his preference would be to keep racing, and Zhou can now consider his options more thoroughly.
He explained that after getting dropped by Sauber, Zhou’s future remains uncertain, and the 25-year-old would like to keep racing.
Zhou may have multiple options, including Formula E, and he can now decide where he wants to race next after leaving F1.
A lot of former F1 drivers have had very successful careers in Formula E
Some Formula 1 drivers didn’t have incredibly long stints at the highest level and had to look for other options in their racing careers.
Sebastien Buemi is looking to develop with Envision this year after driving for Toro Rosso in F1 n a mixed three-year stint.
The Swiss driver went on to be very successful in the all-electric series, winning the championship in the 2015-16 season.
Other successful ex-F1 drivers include Nyck de Vries and Pascal Wehrlein, who both struggled in Formula 1 but won the Formula E title.