F1 News
Team boss Komatsu reveals: This is how long Haas may borrow Bearman from Ferrari
- Ludo van Denderen
Haas F1 has high hopes for Oliver Bearman, the British driver starting his first season in Formula 1. The youngster does so with three Grands Prix to his name already, after being allowed to fill in once at Ferrari and twice at Haas in 2024. In those races, Bearman impressed so much that Ayao Komatsu, Haas' team boss, was keen to sign him for several years.
It was already known that Haas is hiring Bearman - who is still part of Ferrari - for two seasons. But, Komatsu now reveals, Haas has also negotiated an option for a third season. Incidentally, should anything happen to Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton during the coming season, Bearman will be their replacement. In that case, the Brit will (temporarily) shift to the Scuderia.
Bearman 'the complete package'
When Komatsu analyses his new driver, he comes to mere words of praise. "I said it many times but it's just a whole package. It's not just speed. I've seen some, let's say rookie drivers who come into a FP1 session and then be quick, but then not many of those guys are really focused on proving that I'm quick. But Oli wasn't that at all. And then I saw more than enough in terms of his speed potential."
Yet what Komatsu found most interesting was the way Bearman got going during FP1 in Mexico. "He really understood what his role was in that FP1 session in Mexico, on what the team needed to get out of it, how we needed him to approach the FP1, and then understanding of the execution of that."
"And also the debrief, calmness, let's say, the way he can explain things, working with the team, everything that was. I just couldn't believe he was 18, seriously. And I said, ‘wow’," concluded the Japanese chief.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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