Haas says there are no guarantees Oliver Bearman will be given a full-time Formula 1 seat with the team in 2025 despite an “amazing” Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Bearman was handed his F1 debut with Ferrari amid unexpected circumstances last weekend when Carlos Sainz was ruled out of competing with appendicitis.
Despite receiving one hour of practice in unrepresentative conditions at the challenging high-speed Jeddah track, Bearman had a seamless adaption in the SF-24.
The Briton was 0.036 seconds adrift of pipping Lewis Hamilton to a place in Q3 but strung together a smooth race to beat the Mercedes and Lando Norris to seventh.
When asked to assess Bearman’s standout showing, Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said: “Amazing.
“This circuit is not the easiest circuit to jump in from FP3. So I’m very, very happy for him and [he was] impressive.”
Bearman’s status as a Ferrari Junior and Haas’ affiliation with the Italian marque has heightened expectations that he will progress into F1 with the American outfit.
Alongside his Ferrari duties, Bearman, 18, is also serving as Haas’ reserve driver and will make six FP1 appearances for the team across the current 2024 campaign.
But while Komatsu accepts Bearman would warrant a promotion, he commended the team’s current experienced line-up of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.
Hulkenberg scored a valuable point for the Kannapolis-based squad last weekend with help from Magnussen, who held up a queue of cars to aid his team-mate.
Pressed on the message Bearman would have had on the F1 paddock, “He deserves a chance next year, I guess.
“[But] penalty aside, Kev’s done fantastic today. Nico delivered as well. So how can I sit here and say, [Bearman is] ‘our driver for next year’?
“Based on today’s performance, [it’s] Nico and Kevin.”
Bearman had been the selected driver to fulfil Haas’ obligation to field a rookie in two FP1 sessions last term, with Komatsu recalling how impressive he was then.
“Of course, we ran him in Mexico FP1 and Abu Dhabi and straight away it was totally clear to me and most of us that he is something special,” Komatsu highlighted.
“It’s not just the speed. It’s the total package and he understands the objectives, he handled himself very well.
“Even during a run, he’s able to sort of absorb the information from the previous lap and then make minor adjustments to make the next step better.
“He just showed maturity straight away as if he’s been doing it for some years.”
Bearman has said that he doesn’t expect to be in the Ferrari car alongside Charles Leclerc in Australia but will be at the track as his Formula 2 campaign continues.
The Prema driver, who is partnered with Mercedes prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli, was scheduled to start on pole position in Jeddah until his late call-up to Ferrari.
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has commented that he’s “optimistic” Sainz, who was Spaniard present in the paddock for the race, will return in Melbourne.
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