Oliver Bearman says his performance within the Ferrari on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a “major factor” in him securing a Formula 1 seat with Haas in 2025 despite a difficult season in Formula 2.
Last week it was announced that Bearman would turn into one among the American team’s race drivers for the upcoming Formula One campaign, wherein he’ll make his full-time championship debut.
The news has been within the making for a while and, apparently, nobody was less surprised than current Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, whose Formula 1 future is in jeopardy.
“I’ve known about it for about four months,” said the Dane, whose current team-mate Nico Hulkenberg is moving to Sauber next 12 months. “I mean, it wasn’t decided for four months, but I knew it was going to happen. So it’s not news to me.”
Four months ago, Ferrari protégé Bearman got a probability to point out his skills when Carlos Sainz suffered appendicitis in Jeddah.
Becoming the third youngest driver in Formula 1 history on the age of 18, the Briton impressed within the SF-24 race, ending eleventh in qualifying and scoring details for the Scuderia with an error-free seventh place within the race – something he believes was crucial to securing a seat at Haas in 2025.
“I think Saudi Arabia showed what I am capable of, that the novices and people with less experience are not that far behind the average group,” Bearman said on the British Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24 battles Oliver Bearman, Ferrari SF-24
Photo: Mark Sutton / Motorsports images
“I believe I did well in Saudi Arabia and considering how the Formula 2 campaign goes, it’s hard to disregard that.
“I still felt like I could do a good job in free practice, but let's just say I'm glad Saudi Arabia happened because I think it was a big part of why I'm here now.”
Although Bearman finished sixth in F2 and was the second-best rookie last 12 months – just behind Victor Martins despite being 4 years younger – his 2024 season has not gone as expected.
The Prema driver was forced to retire from the Jeddah round after taking pole following his Ferrari call-up, and has since struggled to keep up pace over the course of a single lap; qualifying on the front two rows just once in the primary eight rounds.
The races weren't significantly better for the 19-year-old. He was involved in crashes in Bahrain, Melbourne and Silverstone, had technical problems at Sakhir and the Red Bull Ring, crashed in Monaco and endured a nightmare pit stop when leading at Imola. He also finished a disastrous twenty first within the sprint in Barcelona.
“I feel like I'm performing at a higher level than I ever have, and then I get to Barcelona and literally finish last. Last year I won the race, [three] seconds” – he emphasized.
“I don't have an answer yet. I hope I can blame this inconsistency on something else and not me, because I honestly feel like I'm performing as well as I've ever performed — which makes sense, because I have the most experience I've ever had.”
Bearman, who’s thirteenth within the Drivers’ Championship, admits he’s battling the driving style required within the 2024 Dallara F2.
Oliver Bearman, Prema Racing
Photo: Simon Galloway / Motorsports images
“Especially after I do that [F1] “It’s really tough in free practice when the balance of the car changes from session to session,” he added, having taken part in three FP1 sessions with Haas.
This prompted him to clarify that he “gets along better with Formula 1” and these starts helped him present himself in a positive light at Ferrari and Haas.
“I feel like running in F1 was a big burden,” he said. “But there’s no hiding the fact that F2 is still a bit difficult. That always leaves a few question marks in the back of your mind.”
Bearman’s only podium finish of the 2024 season up to now was a victory within the Austrian sprint race, a rare ray of sunshine in a bleak campaign that got here just five days before Haas announced it.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time, to be honest,” he admitted. “It’s still a tricky season in F2 because even on Sunday [at Red Bull Ring]I had an engine failure. I felt like all my labor was wasted.
“It came at a really good time, a really important time – not only for my prospects in F1 but also for the team because in Formula 2 we needed a good result to boost everyone’s motivation and this really helped us.”
Bearman now has the ambition to follow within the footsteps of Charles Leclerc and earn promotion to the Scuderia in only his second season.
“I hope so! That would be a dream,” he concluded.
“It's not in my hands, I feel like all I can do is perform as best as I can.”
Additional information: Jonathan Noble and Jake Boxall-Legge
