‘No conversation’: Bearman cools Ferrari talk despite standout rookie year at Haas
Oliver Bearman walked into Zandvoort with a Ferrari logo peeking out from the garages across the way and did the sensible thing: he poured cold water on the rumour mill.
Yes, he’s in regular contact with Maranello. No, there hasn’t been any talk about a promotion.
“We catch up from time to time,” Bearman told reporters. “It’s an open dialogue about the challenges I’m facing this season. But regarding my future—no conversation. I just drive the car. The rest will sort itself out if I perform.”
On form alone, he’s done plenty. In his first full Formula 1 campaign with Ferrari customers Haas, the 20-year-old Brit outscored his race-winning teammate Esteban Ocon, 41–38, and very nearly put Haas on the rostrum in Mexico—only Max Verstappen’s late authority denied what would’ve been a fairytale podium. That kind of debut season doesn’t whisper; it bangs on the door.
But Bearman’s not biting. He’s been in the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, made a sensational 2024 cameo for the Scuderia in Saudi Arabia and filled in for Haas in Baku and São Paulo, so the ties are deep. Even so, he’s keen to keep the feedback loop with Ferrari constructive rather than political.
“It’s easy to just see the result on paper,” he said. “That doesn’t always tell the full story. There’s often a lot more to it. There have been moments where they’ve wanted me to improve on certain aspects—but that was always going to come with experience.”
There’s context at Ferrari, of course. The team sits on the cusp of the 2026 regulation reset with two megastars under contract in Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and a lot of noise around both. Hamilton’s opening chapter in red has been bruising enough to invite questions if the struggles spill into next year. Leclerc, meanwhile, has already called 2026 a “now or never” moment for the Scuderia’s title ambitions—code in this paddock for: deliver me a car, or I’ll have options.
Stir in a highly rated Academy graduate who’s already proved he can mix it in the points for a customer team, and you’ve got a future driver-market headache Ferrari will be quite happy to have. But for all the speculation, the reality right now is a non-story. Bearman’s conversations with Frederic Vasseur haven’t strayed beyond performance, process and what comes next on the technical side.
“The next regulations are important,” Bearman added. “I’ve got the same engine as they will have, so we talk about that. No positive or negative feedback, just an open discussion.”
That last detail matters. Haas runs Ferrari power, and while 2026 will reset the playbook for everyone, Bearman’s year of living with the Scuderia’s architecture—its traits, its drivability, its quirks—won’t hurt his stock. Neither will his temperament. He’s disarmingly straight, undistracted by the badge across the street, and confident without being performative.
“I feel ready,” he’s said of a potential step up. Not pushy. Just matter-of-fact.
Ferrari, historically, tends to move when it must, not when the internet demands it. If Hamilton rebounds and Leclerc gets the tools he wants, the lineup stays superstar-loaded. If not, and the team leans into a generational reset for 2026, Bearman’s candidacy is already written in bold. For now, he’s doing the smart thing—stacking points, maturing in traffic, and turning near-misses like Mexico into evidence.
The paddock loves a timeline; Bearman’s giving it a season. Keep delivering in a Haas and the rest tends to take care of itself—especially when the people making the big calls already have you on speed dial.
