All eyes are on whether Nico Hulkenberg’s move to Sauber – soon to be Audi – in 2025 is going to set off a chain reaction in the Formula 1 driver’s market.
More than half of the seats on the grid are still to be decided for next year, but Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso’s recent announcements will have set plenty of teams on high alert.
Journalist Ben Anderson has been analysing the driver’s market on The Race Podcast and thinks one driver is about to be in very high demand.
Next season will be the final year of the current regulations and although several teams will talk a good game, quite a few will already be turning their attention to 2026.
Big changes are coming to Formula 1 – some of which have already been questioned – but it offers those teams unable to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari a clean slate.
It also means teams will start to prepare their driver line-ups for the foreseeable future and not just a one-year punt in 2025.
With Nico Hulkenberg’s move from Haas to Sauber now confirmed, the team can turn their attention to securing Oliver Bearman for 2025.
The 18-year-old was fantastic when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia and looks like one of the most likely rookies to be on the grid next year.
Oliver Bearman looks set for 2025 Haas seat after Nico Hulkenberg’s exit
After a winter of stability in Formula 1, 2025 was always looking like the year that rookies had to target to earn a race seat.
Back-to-back Formula 2 champions – Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire – had failed to earn a race seat and that still looks unlikely now.
Oscar Piastri was the last successful F2 champion to earn a spot on the grid, but the only thing better than winning that championship to break into F1 is to impress when called upon by one of the 10 teams on the grid.
Liam Lawson was unlucky not to be handed a seat this season after his impressive five-race cameo with AlphaTauri next year.
Lawson’s expected to be back in 2025 – if not sooner – and Oliver Bearman is expected to join him at Haas once Nico Hulkenberg moves on.
It’s looking more likely that Kevin Magnussen will stay with the team and that partnership could work well for Ayao Komatsu.
However, with so much change expected elsewhere in the coming months, an even stronger driver might make themselves available.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari relationship
Oliver Bearman set for permanent F1 seat
Talking about the teenager’s future, Anderson said: “As I expect, they will move heaven and Earth to get Ollie Bearman in the other car, that seems like a no-brainer now that there’s a seat open.
“But it doesn’t obviously guarantee that [Kevin] Magnussen’s the guy they put in alongside.
“He’d be the safe choice for them now that [Nico] Hulkenberg’s out of the way, it strengthens Magnussen’s position, he’s driving a lot better.
“But again, there seems to be so many very good quality midfield F1 drivers on the market for next year.
“With a couple of really exciting rookies to come in as well, it kind of strengthens the team’s position in terms of not needing to go too early.”
Haas losing Hulkenberg for 2025 is a blow but Bearman could be a brilliant replacement and will only get better the longer he spends in Formula 1.
He’s unlikely at this stage to win the Formula 2 title, especially after missing out on two key races he would have targeted to score points after his F1 promotion in Jeddah.
Ayao Komatsu won’t count that against him but will be studying his performances in the series closely over the coming weeks and months.
He’s also expected to take part in six practice sessions for the team this year which will give Haas a much better idea of how fast he really is.
The post ‘No-brainer’: F1 team will now ‘move heaven and earth’ to sign 18-year-old driver for 2025 – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
