After his efficiency as we speak, it’s clear that Ollie Bearman deserves a full-time F1 Seat For 2025. Bearman was super-subbed into the second Ferrari seat for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and produced a superb efficiency to deliver dwelling strong factors for the Scuderia.
Carlos Sainz’s sudden appendicitis and subsequent surgical procedure dominated the Spaniard out of this weekend’s motion in Jeddah forward of qualifying. Ferrari followers needn’t have fearful, although, as Bearman grabbed his alternative with each palms.
Does this imply that we’ll see the British teenager on the grid as a full-time driver in 2025, although? Effectively, given his show as we speak, the good cash is on “sure”. Nonetheless, as ever in Formulation 1, it’s hardly ever that easy, and we’ll go into why in as we speak’s piece.
Ollie Bearman Deserves An F1 Seat For 2025
Ollie Bearman’s rise over the previous few years has been nothing wanting sensational. In 2021, on the age of 16, Bearman received each the Italian and German Formulation 4 Championships, incomes himself a spot on the Ferrari Driver Academy.
2022 noticed Bearman end in third general in his debut Formulation 3 marketing campaign. This respectable end meant the Brit was promoted to Formulation 2 final yr, the place he completed sixth general and the second-best rookie behind Victor Martins.
Bearman’s begin to the 2024 Formulation 2 marketing campaign didn’t go to plan, with him drawing a clean at each races in Bahrain. Simply as he was gearing as much as tackle the Jeddah Circuit in Saudi Arabia, although, the cellphone rang. It was none apart from Ferrari Staff Principal, Fred Vasseur.
After being made Ferrari’s official reserve driver for the 2024 season forward of Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman, Bearman was referred to as into motion on the second alternative. Regardless of participating in apply on Thursday, Sainz had developed appendicitis, requiring surgical procedure and ruling him out of the remainder of the weekend’s motion.
Bearman was drafted into the Ferrari F1 workforce and solely had one free-practice session to get used to the SF-24. This was solely the second time he’d ever pushed a Ferrari Formulation 1 automobile and the primary time he’d piloted the SF-24.
Taking his alternative
Bearman broke a number of F1 data within the Saudi Arabian GP and a few very important “first since” landmarks. The 18-year-old grew to become the youngest British F1 driver and the third-youngest of all-time, with solely Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll making the debuts at a youthful age.
Bearman additionally grew to become the primary driver to make their general F1 debut for Ferrari in over 50 years and Ferrari’s youngest-ever driver too. As spectacular as all that is, it wouldn’t have meant an enormous quantity if Bearman didn’t ship within the automobile, however he completely did.
Jeddah is a high-speed rollercoaster journey of a circuit, being the quickest road circuit on the calendar and in addition one which punishes errors. Even skilled drivers like Verstappen have fallen foul of the monitor’s unforgiving boundaries.
Bearman didn’t present any of his inexperience throughout qualifying, solely lacking out on Q3 by the narrowest of margins. A P11 beginning berth gave him the chance to attain factors on his debut, and whereas he achieved this, it was removed from easy.
Stroll’s crash early within the race triggered a Security Automobile and pit stops for a lot of the subject, together with Bearman. He was in a web tenth, however must overtake a number of drivers to get again into the highest ten. Passes on Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg confirmed that Bearman has actual combat and ability, he’s definitely not missing on this regard.
Maybe most impressively of all, Bearman saved his nerve and delivered constant and strong lap occasions to carry onto his P7 place forward of each Lando Norris and Sir Lewis Hamilton, who have been each on newer, sooner tyres.
Sure, he was arguably within the second-fastest automobile on the grid, however to be drafted in at such quick discover and with an enormous lack of expertise is massively spectacular. Bearman will make it to F1 full-time, it’s only a matter of time, however will or not it’s as quickly as subsequent yr?
The place does Bearman go for 2025?
It’s the age-old downside in F1, too many drivers and never sufficient seats. The grid that ended 2023 was the identical that began 2024, however we already know that isn’t going to be the case for 2025, as Hamilton is ready to affix Ferrari.
Plus, nearly all of the grid isn’t set but for 2025, so there are many seats up for grabs. Out of all these out there, although, the most definitely must be Haas. Along with being a Ferrari reserve, Bearman can also be the reserve for Haas and did participate in a free-practice session with them final season.
With Guenther Steiner now out the door for Haas, it is extremely probably that the workforce will need to go in a distinct course with their driver pairing. So, that may imply that both Hulkenberg or Kevin Magnussen wouldn’t be retained for 2025.
Some might level to Sauber, one other workforce that has affiliation with Ferrari, however they’ll be desirous to go their very own means forward of switching to turning into the Audi works workforce in 2026. A doable possibility could possibly be Williams, although, as Logan Sargeant isn’t precisely setting the world alight and Alex Albon might transfer to a greater performing workforce.
Bearman want to drive for a workforce additional up the grid, however with McLaren’s line-up locked in for 2025 and each Mercedes and Pink Bull are unrealistic prospects., I don’t see it. Aston Martin is an out of doors shot, nevertheless it’s uncertain {that a} seat would open up there.
Wherever Bearman results in F1, he’ll probably succeed and will definitely hit the bottom operating. The 18-year-old is an unimaginable prospect and has actual shades of Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen at such a younger age.
