Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei and IMAGO / Motorsport Images
Ever since Oliver Bearman showed his prowess in Saudi Arabia, he has been a hot topic of discussion in F1 forums. Some found Bearman’s debut so impressive that they speculated whether Ferrari would regret its decision to sign Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Certainly, the 18-year-old performed exceptionally well to outscore Hamilton in Jeddah, finishing 7th. However, French journalist Fred Ferret says that Frederic Vasseur won’t be sweating on signing up the seven-time champ ahead of Bearman.
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On the F1 Nation podcast, Ferret defended Vasseur’s call about sealing Hamilton as a Ferrari driver for 2025. He said, “It’s not being rude to Ollie Bearman, not at all. When you have Lewis Hamilton, you don’t think about anything else. So if you have Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, it’s not being mistaken by forgetting Ollie Bearman.”
Ferret is a close friend of the Ferrari boss, so the host Tom Clarkson wanted his views on what Vasseur could be thinking after seeing Bearman in Jeddah. While the British prodigy has turned a lot of eyeballs after his incredible stand-in performance, the French boss knows what value Hamilton brings to the table.
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Hamilton jumping ship to the Italian stable was arguably the biggest news of the year and shocked the F1 world to the core. He himself mentioned that driving for Ferrari was a childhood dream for him and Vasseur’s presence as the team boss completed the puzzle for him. Hamilton and Vasseur go way back as they have worked with each other during his junior racing days.
Amid this closely-knit dynamic, Bearman is certainly a fresh face. He may have stirred the pot in terms of the available options in the driver market for 2025. However, Vasseur and Ferrari may not want to sideline Hamilton for the 18-year-old.
Is Ferrari betting wisely on Lewis Hamilton’s experience?
Lewis Hamilton shifting base to Ferrari, when many thought he may retire at Mercedes was shocking to many fans. Hamilton, one of F1’s greatest ever is joining arguably the most iconic F1 team but it is hard to not ignore the fact that he will be 40 years old when he joins.
Besides, even Ferrari has not been in the best position to fight for wins and championships. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also commented on how the move surprised him, given the timing.
As per RacingNews365, Marko said, “You wonder how it could have happened. Mercedes was overtaken by Ferrari in the second half of the 2023 season and McLaren was also faster. Perhaps Hamilton has realized something that the outside world does not yet know”.
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While the Italian team’s competitiveness may improve, Hamilton is certainly in the twilight of his career. So, can Ferrari get the best from the 39-year-old, who has not won a race in the last two years?
Add to this, Oliver Bearman’s stunning debut, and that puts the Maranello team in a fix. On one hand, they wish to retain the British prodigy, but can’t afford to give him a Ferrari seat.
There have been reports of Haas wanting Bearman’s services for 2025. Given Haas’s close working relationship with Ferrari, it could safeguard Bearman for a couple of years by giving him the deserved shot in F1. Even Haas boss Ayao Komatsu has mentioned that he is a fan of the 18-year-old and would want to consider signing him up.
