The fact Lewis Hamilton is finally firing in a Ferrari has delighted everyone associated with the Scuderia. That includes Oliver Bearman, who remains very much part of the Ferrari setup despite driving for Haas – though the 21-year-old Brit has admitted that the seven-time world champion’s resrugence hasn’t come at a great time for his own personal ambitions.
Bearman has been largely impressive since making his F1 debut, shining as he starred for Ferrari as an 18-year-old stand-in for Carlos Sainz when the Spaniard was struck down with appendicitis. He made two more cameo appearances in that 2024 season, both for Haas, and landed a full-time drive with the latter for the following campaign.
Now in his second full season on the grid, Bearman has earned plenty of admirers and began the year in superb form, scoring 17 points across the first two Grand Prix weekends. Haas’ competitiveness has waned, however, and he has only been able to add one more in the nine rounds since.
Still, he is very highly regarded by Ferrari chief and has long been considered the clear successor to the race seat currently occupied by Hamilton. After a dismal first year in red for the veteran racer, it seemed increasingly likely that Ferrari might turn to Bearman ahead of 2027, but Hamilton’s resurgence and his desire to continue racing in F1 beyond this year have scuppered virtually any chance of the younger Brit getting a promotion for next term.
But Bearman insists he is in no rush to leap into a Ferrari just yet as he spoke of his awe at what his childhood hero Hamilton is achieving this year. “As an F1 fan and a Lewis fan as well, it’s pretty cool to see him performing at the level he is,” he said, before pointing to Hamilton’s Barcelona win ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris as a prime example.
He added: “Seeing him on the top step in Barcelona was quite a special moment for British F1 in general. It was three Brits on the podium, with the best driver we’ve ever seen in P1. That’s something pretty special.
“Of course, in terms of my future, that’s not ideal. But I’m still young. I’m only 21. I’m not in a huge rush and, for me, staying at Haas for the foreseeable is not a bad thing. I feel like there’s a lot to learn at this team. There’s a lot to still achieve.”
That said, Bearman is keen to step up to Ferrari sooner rather than later and did not completely close the door to accepting an offer from another top team if it gets him to the front of the grid more swiftly. He said: “My goal remains to be a Ferrari driver one day.
“Of course, I don’t want to be sitting around for three, four, five years waiting for a seat to become available because there are no guarantees. You can be wasting your best years. My ultimate goal is maybe a bit selfish, and that’s okay because that’s the reason I’m here: I want to be fighting for world championships. So, if I can have that opportunity wherever, I will take it.”