Oliver Bearman is set to make a full-time F1 debut with Haas next season. Bearman has been the heavy favourite to ascend to the seat ever since Nico Hulkenberg confirmed his move to Audi.
The 18-year-old burst onto the scene at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in March. Senior Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had to withdraw from the event after contracting appendicitis.
That led the Scuderia to call up their academy talent, who came into the weekend expecting to be racing in F2. With only a single practice session under his belt, Bearman qualified 11th before finishing an impressive seventh.
He beat compatriots Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton and earned the driver of the day award. It was the best result for a debutant since the start of the 2015 season.
With Hamilton and Charles Leclerc locked into Ferrari, Bearman had no chance of jumping straight to the Italian marquee next year. His Prema teammate Kimi Antonelli is set for a front-running seat at Mercedes next year.
Haas has always looked the most likely destination given that he’s driving in six FP1 sessions for Ayao Komatsu’s team this year. Sky F1 presenter Rachel Brookes relayed paddock talk at Imola last month that he was in line to replace Hulkenberg.
Oliver Bearman pens £300k Haas deal
According to the Mail, Bearman has now ‘secretly’ signed his contract to become a race driver for Haas. The deal is set to be announced in due course.
Ferrari have been supplying engines to Haas since they entered F1 in 2016, but this is the first time one of their young drivers has raced for the North Carolina outfit. They will hope that it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
Bearman is expected to earn between £250k and £300k in the first year of his contract, which works out as around £5k-£6k per week. For reference, Spotrac figures show that Logan Sargeant and Yuki Tsunoda are the lowest-paid drivers on the current grid at £15k-p/w.
But the 18-year-old sees his wage slip as a ‘secondary’ consideration and will be delighted that he’s managed to make it into the pinnacle of motorsport. Besides, he’ll apparently have the opportunity to double his salary if he earns a second season.
Esteban Ocon set to partner Bearman in 2025
When the Bearman deal is formally announced, attention will turn to the identity of his teammate. Kevin Magnussen may have been relieved when Hulkenberg moved elsewhere because he thought it would ease the pressure.
However, the Dane’s messy season has placed him in jeopardy. He’s only scored one world championship point this year, and with 10 times as many penalty points, he’s on the verge of a race ban.
Speaking at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, Komatsu was critical of the former McLaren driver. He felt Magnussen should have backed out of an attempted move on Sergio Perez at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, one that ended the race of both drivers as well as Hulkenberg.
If he was unsure about whether to hand Magnussen a new deal, this might just have made up his mind. Sky F1’s Martin Brundle says Esteban Ocon is joining the team, giving Bearman a race-winning benchmark.
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