Oliver Bearman, an 18-year-old Englishman, is expected to secure a permanent seat for the upcoming season after making an impression while filling in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last week.
Guenther Steiner, the former principal of the Haas team, has urged his successor to give wonderkid Oliver Bearman a race seat for the upcoming season.
Shortly before the current season began, Steiner resigned from his position at the F1 strugglers, and Ayao Komatsu was promoted to take his place. Despite his exit, the Italian continues to follow the sport closely.
Now that Bearman, 18, filled in for Ferrari star Carlos Sainz at the last minute, he has singled him out for praise. Prior to the third open practice, Sainz became ill with appendicitis.
To replace Sainz, Bearman, Ferrari’s backup driver, was elevated from his Formula 2 seat. Bearman finished in seventh after narrowly missing out on making it to the top 10 shootout in qualifying.
Steiner now feels he’s ready for a full-time position, considering how well he performed in Jeddah. Last year, Bearman participated in two Haas practice sessions under Steiner, receiving high marks from the former team manager.
There was a lot of pressure on him to step in at the last minute to replace Carlos. Remember that he qualified first for the F2 race and was thrilled about it, Steiner told Formula1.com.
“It must have been difficult for him to deal with the news the following day that he had to replace Carlos. However, you were unaware of it. He maintained his composure the entire time. I would put him in a race seat based on his performance in Jeddah and what I witnessed from him at Haas.
Of course, that depends on the situation and the availability of seats. He would be a candidate, but you have to look at the big picture. It is evident that there is no guarantee he will succeed.
There is still a chance. But considering that he only had an hour of practice, the way he performed in qualifying and the race in Jeddah suggests the risk is significantly lower.”
Steiner thinks Bearman will probably get a drive for the upcoming campaign. The Italian did warn the British driver that he might have to make do with a car at the back of the grid and that he won’t be able to choose his preferred team.
“He can position himself well because many driver contracts are up at the end of this year, which puts him in a good place. He is limited to where he can go, but I think there are multiple options.
I’m not sure how long his contract is with Ferrari, but he does. If you were interested in him, you would go talk to Ferrari and find out what they wanted to accomplish.
“After his performance the previous weekend, I believe that many teams will now take a proactive look at him. I believe there’s a good chance he’ll be seated next year because if I see the potential, others will too.”
