Haas boss Ayao Komatsu has denied that it would be “frustrating” should Oliver Bearman’s Formula 1 stint with the team end due to him landing a drive at Ferrari.
The Kannapolis-based squad has utilised the long-serving relationship that it has with Ferrari to loan Bearman, who has been on the Italian marque’s books since 2022.
Bearman is preparing to embark upon his rookie F1 campaign alongside the more experienced Esteban Ocon, the Frenchman completing a revised driver line-up at Haas.
The Briton made two appearances with Haas last term as he replaced previous incumbent Kevin Magnussen in Baku and Brazil, scoring points in the initial showing.
Haas announced last July that Bearman will be with the team through 2026, which could leave him well-placed to replace Lewis Hamilton once his stint at Ferrari concludes.
Bearman, whose maiden F1 appearance came with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia last term, has been touted as the ideal option to take the position that his compatriot will vacate.
But while he’s signed a driver whose long-term prospects look poised to be elsewhere, Komatsu has denied he would be irritated should Ferrari opt to recall Bearman in 2027.
“It’s not frustrating at all, to be honest with you. I think it’s amazing that we had access to Oli,” Komatsu said via Mirror F1.
“It’s thanks to our relationship with Ferrari that we have Oli, we had him racing for us in Baku and Interlagos [last year] That’s actually a positive and a benefit for us.
“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.
“So honestly, looking at it at least for the short term, the next two years, I feel really good that we actually have access to Oli and we can help him as a race driver.”
Haas hopes to develop own drivers soon
Haas has invested extensive time in Bearman’s career, having given him eight FP1 sessions prior to his promotion to a race seat in 2025 with the American outfit.
Komatsu has admitted that Haas is endeavouring to reach a stage where it can provide similar opportunities to its own upcoming talents rather than Ferrari’s crop.
“Of course, beyond that, we have to grow as a team so I’m sure at some point we’ll get to the stage where we need to grow out of it, if you like,” he explained.
“We’ve got to be able to give opportunities to young drivers and then for us to be able to develop and identify the talent, develop those talents together.
“We haven’t had the capability or opportunity to do that before – this is year one of doing that.
“So I think in terms of the transition, I’m not in a hurry to say, ‘It’s frustrating that we have to give the driver back to Ferrari’. No.
“These two years we’ve got with Oli, we’re determined to make it work and if at the end of the day we get to the stage where Ferrari is happy enough to take Oli for ’27, we’ve done a good job.”
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