Haas announce Oliver Bearman signing as telling Ferrari comment issued | F1 | Sport
Oliver Bearman will have a permanent seat in Formula One next season after being announced as part of Haas’s line-up for 2025. The British teenager enjoyed a remarkable F1 debut while driving for Ferrari earlier this campaign and has impressed enough to earn a multi-year deal with Haas.
Bearman, who has been Ferrari’s reserve driver this year, finished seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after being called up as a late replacement for Carlos Sainz. Then only 18, he received praise from Lewis Hamilton and other key figures in F1, intensifying speculation over an imminent full-time role on the grid.
The 19-year-old has previously participated in two FP1 sessions for Haas, in Mexico and Abu Dhabi respectively. Bearman is widely expected to replace Nico Hulkenburg.
Bearman has praised the Ferrari academy for overseeing his development. He said in a statement: “It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me. To say out loud that I will be a Formula One driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud.
“To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene, Ayao and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone since the first time we met in Mexico and I can’t wait to enjoy this moment with them and hopefully many more in the future.
“To Fred, Marco, Jock, Alessandro and everyone at the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, quite simply, I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for preparing me since F4 for this incredible opportunity and know I will give it everything I have.”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu claims his team are hiring an ‘incredibly mature’ driver. He said: “It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula One.
He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car.
“Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned.”
