Driver Lewis Hamilton once called ‘really great’ now has a ‘good chance’ of 2026 Cadillac F1 role

Follow us on Google Discover

Formula 1’s newest team, Cadillac, made their presence felt at the 2025 British Grand Prix.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon was in the paddock at Silverstone and joined by Dan Towriss, who oversees the group that Cadillac are a part of.

Heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season, only a handful of teams have yet to confirm their driver line-ups.

Mercedes are considering whether to sign Max Verstappen and as a result, that’s leaving George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli wondering about their long-term F1 futures.

Alpine are questioning Franco Colapinto’s position, while both of Racing Bulls’ drivers are still waiting to discover their fate for next season.

Cadillac have plenty of drivers lining up to race for them next season, even if the expectation is that they’ll be near the back of the grid.

Zhou Guanyu has emerged as a potential candidate after Lewis Hamilton called him ‘really great’ back in 2023 at the Hungarian Grand Prix when he secured the best qualifying result of his career.

Journalists Sahil Kapur and Edd Straw believe the Chinese driver has a ‘good chance’ of being involved at Cadillac next season for a variety of reasons.

READ MORE: Ferrari reserve driver Zhou Guanyu’s life outside F1 from height to net worth

Zhou Guanyu is in the mix for a Cadillac role for the 2026 Formula 1 season

Kapur and Straw were discussing Cadillac’s driver options on The Race F1 Podcast around the British Grand Prix weekend.

Kapur said: “The Zhou connection is also interesting, right?” to which Straw replied: “He’s in the mix.”

Kapur continued: “Whether it’s one of the main drivers, whether it’s a reserve driver, I’ve got no insight as to whether that’s a real possibility or whether he would even want to do that.

“But the fact that he is driven, that he is now connected to Ferrari and knows that engine well, that seems to have some value.

“And also if you’re thinking about Cadillac and the commercial side and the market, I mean the fact that he has obviously a fan base in China is going to be seen as attractive commercially to Cadillac and its shareholders, given the potential, I guess, to reach that enormous market.”

Straw concluded: “Yeah. And he’s a good, safe pair of hands, Zhou. He’s probably better in race conditions than qualifying, although we did see a few good qualifying performances, kind of at times as well.

“He struggled a bit last season. So Zhou, I think, is a guy who’s got a reasonable chance there, and all those connections help him, and obviously, yeah, Lowdon is involved in his management, and that’s not particularly unusual now.

“I’d say there’s a good chance we’ll see him in some role in that team and a chance it could be race driver, although that’s a smaller chance than the confidence you have some kind of role, but it’s still all to be played out, I think.”

READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers

Does Zhou Guanyu deserve a second chance on the Formula 1 grid with Cadillac?

Zhou had a very strong junior record before signing for Alfa Romeo, now Sauber, for the 2022 season.

The 26-year-old spent three seasons with the team alongside Valtteri Bottas, who has also been linked with Cadillac.

Zhou only scored 16 points during his time on the grid, but did outscore Bottas last season.

He also has two fastest laps to his name, but too often he wasn’t able to show his full potential due to the struggles with the car.

Zhou’s goal is to return to Formula 1 in 2026, and despite being Ferrari’s reserve driver, Cadillac appears to be his best bet to achieve that feat.