Oliver Bearman maximized the sudden opportunity to make his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP with Ferrari. While most of the world is celebrating the 18-year-old’s stellar debut, some fans also wondered where was Robert Schwartzman – the Italian team’s senior reserve driver? Schwartzman has been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy for a while and has already graduated from F2. In 2023, Ferrari released him from the FDA but promoted him to the team’s reserve driver. Experts on The Race F1 podcast gave clarity on why Schwartzman did not get the chance to replace Carlos Sainz.
Editor Samarth Kanal stated, “As you know, Ferrari run a WEC program with their LMH cars and Robert Schwartzman is busy with that. And he could have come here, except Fred Vasseur said that it was stupid to bring more than one reserve driver to a race. He said there was no point doing it.”
Kanal quoted Vasseur‘s logic, “With drivers running the WEC program, it would basically take more time out of their schedules to bring them to different countries in between WEC races.”
Oliver Bearman was present in Jeddah for the Formula 2 races happening in support of the F1 weekend. Thus, it made logistical sense for Ferrari and Vasseur to ask Bearman to step in as Sainz’s replacement, given it was such short notice.
Bearman too capitalized on the opportunity to hit the ground running from FP3. He qualified P11, missing Q3 by only 0.03 seconds. In the Grand Prix, he finished P7 at the chequered flag, scoring points on debut.
Bearman’s debut performance has made him a household name. The Race’s experts also cited on the podcast that the 18-year-old may continue to be Ferrari’s main reserve driver wherever there is an F2 race happening this year.
What are the chances of Oliver Bearman getting an F1 seat?
After an impressive debut in Saudi Arabia, Oliver Bearman had made heads turn in the F1 paddock towards him. The Briton is a promising young prospect who has a lot of speed and talent, as everyone witnessed in Jeddah. Bearman has already been on Haas’s radar since last year.
He did a couple of FP1 sessions for the American team and impressed their current team boss Ayao Komatsu. With both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen running out of contracts in 2024, Komatsu may look to bring in Bearman as some fresh blood.
While it is unclear whom he may replace, Komatsu and Haas would certainly want a talent like Bearman in their car for 2025. Even Charles Leclerc touted the 18-year-old while praising his Jeddah performance after the race. Leclerc hoped that Bearman gets an F1 seat soon, which is probably a universal sentiment for the Briton currently.
Depending on who performs better this year, Haas may decide to cut off either Magnussen or Hulkenberg to make way for Bearman. It would be a tough call but given many seats on the grid are available, these two drivers may get a seat elsewhere too.
Certainly, Bearman’s perfect debut helps his case to secure an F1 seat for 2025. So, if Haas is not possible, there are chances he gets a seat at teams like Williams or Sauber. Given how volatile the F1 driver market is going to be for next year, the F2 sensation should look to land up somewhere after his stellar stand-in performance in Saudi Arabia.
