The 19-year-old Ferrari Academy driver made a remarkable F1 debut for the Italian team, standing in for Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March.
Oliver Bearman‘s signing with Haas seemed likely since the team announced at the beginning of the season that he would participate in six practice sessions for them during the 2024 campaign—the third of these sessions at the upcoming 2024 British Grand Prix.
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“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me,” Bearman said. “To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas 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.”
Bearman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in November 2021, following in the footsteps of current Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc by receiving practice outings for Haas through the teams’ long-standing relationship.
In addition to serving as a reserve driver for Ferrari during the 2024 F1 season, Bearman is competing in his second Formula 2 campaign.
He secured his first win of the season in the Sprint event in Austria last weekend, adding to the four victories he claimed for Prema Racing last year.
Before reaching the F2 grid in 2023, Bearman won the 2021 Italian F4 Championship and the 2021 ADAC F4 Championship, and competed in the Formula 3 Championship in 2022.
“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 1,” Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said. “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.”
F1 2025 Grid
Bearman’s teammate for the 2025 season has yet to be confirmed. Incumbent driver Kevin Magnussen is fighting to remain at Haas, while Nico Hulkenberg has already agreed to drive for Sauber in 2025, before the team’s transition to Audi the following season.
Outgoing Alpine driver Esteban Ocon is among those linked to Haas, and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas is also seeking a seat for 2025.
With Bearman’s signing confirmed, only six seats remain unfilled for the 2025 grid, with Mercedes, RB, Alpine, Williams, Sauber, and Haas each having one spot left to fill.
Source: BBC and Sky Sports F1
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