Young talent Oliver Bearman’s performance as a stand-in driver for Ferrari last weekend has captured the admiration of key F1 figures like Flavio Briatore, Toto Wolff, and Gunther Steiner.
Flavio Briatore, with his rich history as the Renault team boss and current roles within F1 and managing Fernando Alonso, remarked, “It was exceptional.” He praised Bearman’s debut, hinting at the youngster’s potential by declaring: “He definitely has something. What? We’ll see with time. But nobody knew him before and he was very good. He finished the race in a competitive way, holding on behind the regulars. It’s something to compliment him for.”
Following an impressive outing in Saudi Arabia, 18-year-old Ferrari junior and Formula 2 driver Bearman then took the helm of Ferrari’s 2022 model car at Fiorano this week. The clarity over Carlos Sainz’s return to the cockpit in Australia, post-appendix surgery, remains uncertain, as stated by Ferrari team leader Frederic Vasseur.
Speculation is mounting around Bearman’s potential full-time entry into Formula 1 next season, possibly with Haas, a team closely linked with Ferrari. Gunther Steiner, the previous principal of the American team, expressed hope for Bearman’s focus on Formula 2 before stepping up to F1, stating, “Hopefully he’ll now concentrate on Formula 2 again and then I think he’ll definitely make his full-time debut in F1 next year.” Steiner praised Bearman’s talent, maturity on the track, and grounded nature off it.
Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, also showed interest in Bearman, noting his teammate in Formula 2 this year is Wolff’s own protégé, 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli. Amidst whispers of Antonelli being a prime candidate to take over from Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Wolff observed Antonelli’s test in a GT3 car at Imola, an event slated for inclusion in the next season of Drive To Survive, featuring Wolff’s minor mishap at Rivazza corner.
Reflecting on Bearman’s Saudi Arabian race, Wolff acknowledged, “He did a great job, but we see that the younger generation is generally very strong. For me, Kimi is the standout among the boys,” adding a comparison of the ease of driving today’s F1 cars due to power steering, unlike those in Formula 2.
GMM
