The driver, now working for Haas, last year in Jeddah was the youngest ever to make his debut in a GP for the Scuderia di Maranello. But his future now also depends on the choices of Hamilton and Leclerc
Rookies are taking over Formula 1. From Kimi Antonelli who in Brazil demonstrated that he has the talent of champions to Oliver Bearman, the British Haas driver in an impressive streak of positive results. In the latest races Ollie finished ninth in Singapore and Austin, fourth in Mexico and sixth in Interlagos. Having joined the Maranello family in 2021, he could become one of Ferrari’s official drivers in 2027. He who has already driven the red one in Saudi Arabia in 2024, when he replaced Carlos Sainz (stopped by appendicitis, ed.) finishing seventh ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton on his F1 debut.
New Leclerc?
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The son of a financial broker with a passion for motors, Bearman first tried a kart at eight years old. After establishing himself at a European and international level, he made his debut in 2020 on Formula 4 single-seaters. The decisive year was the following year, in which he achieved success in the Italian and German F.4 championships. Entering the Ferrari Driver Academy opened the doors to Prema, with which he raced in F.3 and F.2. Having become the youngest Ferrari driver ever to start a GP in Jeddah, he moved to Haas this year to gain experience. A path similar to that of Charles Leclerc in Sauber and both amazed in the comparison with their teammate. If the Monegasque demolished Marcus Ericsson, Ollie is ahead of Esteban Ocon 12-9 in qualifying, 12-9 in the race and in the standings he has gained 40 points against the Frenchman’s 30.
Future
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Ferrari has confirmed Leclerc and Hamilton for next season, but neither of them is sure of staying in 2027. The first because from 2019 to today it has never had a single-seater capable of fighting for the World Championship and if the red car is not competitive with the new regulations it could look around. The manager of number 16, Nicolas Todt, made this clear in an interview with the Straits Times newspaper: “Charles is one of the best talents of his generation, but he is no longer a kid. We need a winning car. I expect a very hot market next year.” The situation is different when it comes to Hamilton, who is experiencing the worst season of his F1 career. The Briton hasn’t adapted well to this generation of single-seaters and if the situation doesn’t improve he could decide to hang up his helmet. Bearman waits at the window, hoping his time will come soon. All he has to do is continue to prove that he is ready to make the leap to a top team.
Pros and cons
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Taking Ollie instead of one of the two starting drivers would first of all allow us to lower the cost of wages. At the moment Ferrari is the team that spends the most of all: 40 million a year for Hamilton and 30 for Leclerc. “Lewis makes mistakes and is no longer as great as he used to be,” Ralf Schumacher said in a Sky Germany podcast. “If I were a top manager now I would take a talented young man like Bearman.” There is no doubt about the extraordinary speed of the Briton. On the other hand, he is still inexperienced and in terms of development he certainly couldn’t give the same indications as the current pair. Being young it is also unthinkable that he doesn’t make mistakes due to inexperience. The priority now is not to skip ahead. Also because the results below expectations this year from the red team cannot be attributed to the two drivers, especially in the case of Leclerc who often went beyond the limits of the car. With Haas, Bearman can continue to grow without excessive pressure, knowing that his name is imprinted on the future of Ferrari.
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