F1 News
Bearman in picture as Hamilton replacement: 'Compliment for us'
Oliver Bearman has only three Formula 1 races to his name so far, but is already seen as Lewis Hamilton' s possible successor at Ferrari. Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu is taking this scenario into account, and would even consider it a great compliment if Bearman ended up leaving for Ferrari.
After making his debut in Saudi Arabia in 2024, it was announced that Oliver Bearman will compete for Haas this year. As a consequence of Kevin Magnussen's ban and then the Dane being sick, he could already drive for his team last season as well. The youngster has a two-year deal with the team, but also remains a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
"It's not frustrating at all, to be honest with you. I think it's amazing that we had access to Oli. It's thanks to our relationship with Ferrari that we have Oli, we had him racing for us in Baku and Interlagos [in 2024]. That's actually a positive and a benefit for us," Komatsu began.
Bearman's future at Ferrari
For the upcoming two season, Ferrari have two drivers under contract: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. As the seven-time world champion is towards the final part of his career, Bearman could just be ready to graduate to Ferrari after Hamilton's retirement.
The team principal therefore believes that if by the end of his deal, Ferrari would be happy to give Bearman a seat, that means they did a good job. "The fact that we've got two years solid with Oli, provided that nothing happens with Lewis and Charles [Leclerc] at Ferrari, is great. If we work together and make improvements together such that, at the end of '26, Ferrari insists that they want to have Oli in their car, that has to be a compliment to us."
This article was written in collaboration with Kim Hoefnagel
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