One more spot on the Formula 1 grid has been solidified for the 2025 season.
And the news guarantees that there will be at least one rookie on the grid next year.
As was widely anticipated, Haas announced that Oliver Bearman, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and an F1 super sub this season for Ferrari, will be driving for the team full-time next season. According to the team it is a “multi-year” deal.
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu praised the young driver in the team’s announcement.
“It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1,” said Komatsu. “He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car. Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned.”
Haas owner Gene Haas praised Bearman as an “exciting rookie prospect” when announcing the news.
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to give Oliver Bearman this opportunity to drive full-time in Formula 1 – he’s undoubtedly an exciting rookie prospect, not just based on what he showed in Saudi Arabia but also through his time developing his relationship with our team,” said Haas. “I’m personally excited to see how he grows as a driver, and we look forward to seeing him deliver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team next season and beyond. This is an exciting time for the team. Oliver’s signing shows we continue to invest in talent – both on and off-track – as we continue to compete at the highest level.”
The young driver stated that he was “proud” to be achieving this dream.
“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me,” said Bearman. “To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud. To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible.”
In addition to Bearman’s current reserve duties for Ferrari and Haas, Bearman drives for Prema in F2. He currently sits 14th in the F2 Drivers’ Championship standings and secured his first win of the season in the F2 Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, his incredible performance standing in for Carlos Sainz Jr. at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix speaks to his potential at the next level. When Sainz was ruled out due to an emergency appendectomy Bearman slid into Sainz’s SF-24 and qualified eleventh, after just one hour of practice in the car. In his F1 debut, he finished up in seventh, fending off both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps — with both veteran drivers on fresher tires — to secure six hard-earned points.
That debut earned him respect around the paddock, with Hamilton praising the young driver. “To have to jump in without doing [much] practice, like he has, it was mega, I’m really impressed,” said Hamilton after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “It just shows what talent he is. I know how tough it was but he got confidence on it straight away.”
That finish has Bearman still in P14 in the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings, ahead of both Alpine drivers as well as Kevin Magnussen.
And that finish might put him alongside Magnussen next season.
