What does Bearman need to do to get a seat in Formula 1?

Ollie Bearman has had only a few opportunities behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, but he has performed fantastically when given the chance. The 19-year-old made his first practice appearance at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix, and after Carlos Sainz came down with appendicitis, the reserve driver for Ferrari took the Spaniard's seat at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing seventh and scoring some brilliant points. He showed he could perform well in the premier class of motorsport. What does he need to do to earn a seat for 2025? Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu said in Friday's press conference.

Komatsu 'can't really fault' Bearman after FP1

After Bearman garnered praise from the likes of Lewis Hamilton for his seventh place at Jeddah earlier in the season, he was allowed to drive for Haas in FP1 on Friday at the Emila Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, replacing Kevin Magnussen. After finishing in P15 when the chequered flag fell, team principal Ayao Komatsu spoke about how the young Brit performed.

"It was a kind of standard FP1 programme," Komatsu started. "You have two sets of tyres, two runs on a lower-ish fuel. The first run, getting to know the circuit, getting to know the car. And then the second round, the softer tyres for doing a bit of a qualifying-type simulation. The last run is a high fuel, looking at tyre management consistency.

"Again, he's done another very, very good job. He's so calm, he understands what he needs to deliver each session, each run, each lap. And then he's able to absorb the information so quickly, either from himself, from the previous lap or the engineer's feedback. So again, I can't really fault him today."

With Bearman performing so well behind the wheel of an F1 car at every opportunity, the question was then asked about what the Brit has to do to have the opportunity to race with Haas in 2025, especially with Nico Hulkenberg moving from the American team in 2025. Komatsu answered: "Continue to deliver like this. We haven't looked into the details yet. But at first glance, we can't fault him for what he's done today. And that was the case last year when we ran him in two sessions as well. So, yes, if he continues to perform like this, for sure, it's difficult to ignore."