Oliver Bearman has revealed he still holds a burning ambition to drive for Ferrari, having made his impromptu Formula 1 debut with the Italian giants last year.
The 20-year-old has endured fluctuating form during his full rookie season in F1 with Haas this year, often showing flashes of the promise that led to his full-time signing.
Bearman is precariously close to a one-race ban however, after his incident with Carlos Sainz at the Italian Grand Prix led to his ninth and 10th penalty points on his Super Licence.
But there is no doubting Bearman’s capabilities, first shown on the big stage at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the Scuderia.
A member of Ferrari’s academy, Bearman was called up to replace the unwell Carlos Sainz, and stunned everyone immediately, narrowly missing out on Q3
And in the race, he went one better by going on to score a mightily impressive seventh place.
A further cameo in Baku for Haas later that year saw him claim another championship point, having already been signed by the American squad as a permanent driver for this year.
When asked ahead of the Italian Grand Prix if he harbours hope of being a long-term replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Maranello, Bearman confirmed he did, admitted he still has to prove himself for a longer period of time.
Well, of course, that’s my goal in life,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I got a taste of doing that when I got the call-up last year and that is my motivation in life, really, to hopefully one day be able to do that.
“But there’s a lot of steps in between and currently my career lies with Haas. I need to prove that I’m capable of, first of all, driving for a top team by doing more consistent performances here.
“So, of course, that’s my goal, but I need to prove myself, it’s not that simple.
Pushed for a potential timeframe on securing a full-time seat with the Scuderia, Bearman was not inclined to be drawn on speculating.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. I just focus on driving quickly and then the rest will happen naturally, that’s my opinion.”
Bearman keen to give Ferrari and other teams ‘no choice’ but try to sign him
Bearman’s performance in Jeddah last year, and what he has shown sporadically across this year, conveys that the Brit is not lacking in self-confidence.
It’s a trait he also showed when asked further if the timeframe has been internally set within himself.
“No, I mean, I’m focused on my thing over here and not really much communication between myself and Ferrari, of course,” he said.
“My job is to show what I’m capable of and leave teams in general without a choice. That’s my job, to do the best job possible.
“That’s a long way away. It doesn’t happen overnight. But no, no time frame, nothing like that.
“I’m just focusing on what I’m doing, trying to improve myself, because I still see a lot of room to grow within this team and also to make the most out of myself on a more consistent basis.
“So I can still see a big trajectory within myself, which is a good feeling and means the more I focus on myself, the better everything’s going to be.”
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