Haas driver Oliver Bearman has made a strong impression with his fourth-place finish in Mexico. The young Brit narrowly missed out on a podium spot, but nonetheless matched the best result ever for the American team. According to former driver and analyst Martin Brundle, Bearman is ready for the highest level; as soon as a spot opens up at Ferrari, the Italians should call him immediately.
Amidst all the chaos during the opening rounds of the Mexico City GP, Bearman immediately made up several places. Starting from ninth place, he even broke into the top three. In the end, the 20-year-old Brit had to concede to Max Verstappen and crossed the finish line in fourth place. The joy within the Haas garage was no less for it. Praise for Bearman also resounds from the paddock; Brundle believes that after a sensational stand-in performance in 2024, he is ready for a more permanent seat at Ferrari.
Ferrari Seat
Bearman has been part of Ferrari’s training program for some time and is effectively on loan to customer team Haas. Regular Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have contracts until 2026, but the young Brit is already being tipped as a possible successor to the seven-time world champion. “He’s doing an excellent job,” Brundle said in a Sky Sports broadcast. “If you give that young man a chance, he grabs it with both hands. He did the same in Saudi Arabia when he was allowed to stand in for Ferrari.” Bearman made his Formula 1 debut early in 2024 when he had to temporarily replace Carlos Sainz.”He kept his cool, especially in the final stages with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren behind him,” Brundle said of Bearman’s performance in Mexico. “He was even able to keep up with Max Verstappen. As soon as a seat at Ferrari becomes available for whatever reason, Bearman should get it immediately. I think he’s excellent; he learns quickly and takes full advantage of his opportunities.”
Ready for Top Level
Former champion Jacques Villeneuve was also impressed with Bearman. According to the Canadian, he is ready for the ‘top level’. “He had a great start,” Villeneuve added, “and after a slight dip, he managed to recover well. It’s always nice to see how a driver comes back stronger – he analyzes, studies, works with the team, and comes up with a solution. That’s what he’s done. You see progress, and then you might wonder: ‘Okay, when does this progress stop?’ But this was really promising. He was in top form all weekend and was not at all influenced by the extra pressure.”
“Bearman is a very aggressive driver, but always has things under control,” Villeneuve continued. “He has great racing ability and is aware of the space around him. That’s rare among the current generation of Formula 1 drivers,” he emphasized. “You see it with many top drivers – sometimes they make moves that make me think: ‘What was he thinking?’ But he seems to have that piece of awareness, and that’s promising.” While Brundle hopes that Bearman will get a chance at Ferrari in the future, Villeneuve believes he is already ready for the top level: “He is the type of driver that thrives under the pressure of the big top teams.”
