Ferrari won't be able to 'ignore' Bearman's good work

Oliver Bearman is one of those rookies who impressed at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. His performances, and those of Franco Colapinto in particular, allowed the teams to change their minds about the beginners and finally give them a chance in the category. queen. Thus, in 2025, there will be four rookies who will line up on the starting grid in Melbourne, Bearman and Liam Lawson no longer being considered beginners having more than two Grands Prix under their belt.

In the 2024 season, Bearman made his first substitution in Saudi Arabia, replacing Carlos Sainz. He had a solid race, finishing seventh, notably ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

His second replacement was in Azerbaijan, this time in the car of Kevin Magnussen. He once again finished the event in the points and just ahead of his one-day teammate Nico Hülkenberg. Finally his last stint took place in São Paulo where he had more difficulty during a chaotic Grand Prix in the rain.

“It’s funny that Ollie is a newbie because I don’t treat him like a newbie, in the sense that we pay a lot of attention to what he has to say”declared Ayao Komatsu, the director of Haas, the team which will welcome Bearman in 2025. “Of course, he got good experience from Ferrari training, simulator, etc. And he drove our car, the VF-23 and the VF-24. Every time he gets in the car, his comments are excellent. The approach is excellent, the speed too.”

Komatsu did not fail to recall Bearman's performances in Azerbaijan or at Interlagos, when the young Briton outclassed Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying. The Japanese boss also indicated how impressed he had been by the comments and by the attitude of Bearman, who had put aside the temptation to show what he was capable of during the FP1 he had completed, to focus on the team program.

Before joining F1, Oliver Bearman was part of the Ferrari academy, which financed most of his career in promotional packages. He was also the team's reserve driver, as well as being that of Haas. It is therefore logical to expect that the young driver will end up at the wheel of a Scuderia car at one point or another when one of the two is free.

This is in any case the opinion of Komatsu, who believes that the Italian team will not be able to ignore Bearman's talent if he were to confirm it during his years with Haas: “He's a Ferrari driver and we have him for two years, plus an option for another year. But if we do a good job and if Ollie does a good job, there will be no way for Ferrari to ignore this.”

Heading into the 2025 season, the Japanese director is eager to see the 19-year-old's future progression in his Formula 1 career. He is also very involved in his development, just like Ferrari.

“I'm sure Ferrari wants regular feedback. I'm going to meet with them during the first week of February to understand exactly what kind of feedback they want.”Komatsu explained.

“But I would also like to give them some feedback, because they played a crucial role in his career, so they know Ollie better than us, so any help we could get on that side would be beneficial too. would like to work closely with the person who looked after Ollie [chez Ferrari].”

Comments collected by Oleg Karpov