Red Bull Closes All Doors for Ferrari’s Potential Successor for Lewis Hamilton

Credits: IMAGO Sven Simon

Oliver Bearman drove an outstanding race for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz. The 18-year-old finished a fantastic seventh on his F1 debut. Following his remarkable performance, many experts have tipped him to replace Lewis Hamilton sometime in the future at Ferrari. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has also explained how Ferrari should waste no time in helping Bearman secure a spot with Haas for next season. While the Austrian believes that the teenager will be a good fit for Ferrari in the future, he does not seem interested in seeing Red Bull sign him. When asked if Red Bull could consider signing Bearman to drive for Visa Cash App RB (V-CARB), Marko told OE24,

“We actually had an informative conversation with him a while ago but he was already at the Ferrari academy. It is inconceivable that we would train him for Ferrari“.

Red Bull has always promoted young drivers through their junior driver programme. The most recent talent that has come through the ranks from their academy is Liam Lawson. The New Zealander received widespread media attention last season after he impressed in the five races he drove for AlphaTauri.

Although Bearman is also an incredibly talented driver that Red Bull could possibly train under their wing, Marko perhaps feels that the young Briton has close ties with Ferrari, and hence, would not want his team to risk training a driver for their rivals. However, the Austrian is confident that Bearman could be a good replacement for Lewis Hamilton in the future.

While Marko may be all praises for Bearman, the 18-year-old has a long way to go before he can even secure a full-time F1 seat for any of the sides. The Briton will need to ensure that he delivers some decent performances for Prema Racing in F2 this season to give himself the best shot of securing an F1 race seat for 2025.

Will Haas sign Oliver Bearman in 2025?

Oliver Bearman’s performance in Jeddah has undoubtedly impressed the entire F1 community. As a result, it was natural for analysts to discuss his future prospects in F1.

Given that Lewis Hamilton will be racing for Ferrari next year, and the Maranello team already has a lengthy deal with Charles Leclerc, it seems clear that Bearman will have no chance of driving for the legendary Italian outfit next year. Hence, after considering all the options, the experts find only one team they believe will be interested in hiring Bearman.

During the F1 Nation podcast, L’Equipe journalist Fred Ferret and Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham were questioned whether Bearman would be given a full-time role in F1. Responding to the query, Ferret reacted positively.

Later, he also gained the support of Pinkham, who believes that Haas would be a logical choice for Bearman in 2025. She said, “The obvious one would be at Haas. I believe he is very popular there anyway. They are the ‘sister team’ to Ferrari and it would be using their partnership in an effective way.”

Bearman has indeed gained the respect of Haas recently. Guenther Steiner revealed how when he was the team boss of Haas, he placed Bearman in one of the practice sessions where he saw the Briton’s extraordinary ability. Following this, the 58-year-old also claimed that he approved Fred Vassuer’s wish to put Bearman in a couple of FP1 sessions for Ferrari.

Amidst all of this discussion, there is another factor that could work in Bearman’s favor. Since the contracts of both Haas drivers expire after 2024, it will be interesting to see whether the American team will replace one of their experienced racers with Bearman or not.