F2 sensation Oliver Bearman is likely to receive more opportunities in F1 this season as Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has made the 18-year-old a public promise. The Briton will make multiple FP1 appearances with Haas this year before he gets a full-time seat in 2025.
As quoted by Junaid on Twitter (now X), Vasseur said, “He will start FP1 sessions with Haas soon, and this will also be important for us to give him experience and mileage in the car. He will do a couple of FP1s with us and Haas during the season”. The Frenchman then added that Ferrari and Haas will provide him with FP1 opportunities in Brazil and Mexico.
Although Oliver Bearman has earned the praises of many after his outstanding debut performance in Saudi Arabia more than a week ago, Vasseur believes it is still too early for his side to judge the teenager. Instead, Vasseur has urged everyone, including the media, to only judge the 18-year-old after his appearances in Brazil and Mexico later this year.
Even though Vasseur has made such a request, the rumors surrounding Bearman’s future just do not stop. There have also been reports that Ferrari are lining up Bearman as a potential long-term replacement for Lewis Hamilton. However, Vasseur is unimpressed by such speculations.
Fred Vasseur not thinking about the future after Lewis Hamilton
Since Lewis Hamilton will turn 40 next year when he joins Ferrari, several experts believe that the seven-time champion is likely to have a short stint at Maranello. As a result, some experts have suggested that the Prancing Horse could be considering Oliver Bearman as a potential replacement for Hamilton.
However, Fred Vasseur has rubbished such speculations. The Frenchman recently said (as quoted by Junaid on Twitter), “Don’t start talking about post-Hamilton. Lewis isn’t in the team yet. But it’s definitely a good sign for Ollie. It was an important milestone (F1 debut in Saudi Arabia)“.
While Vasseur believes it is too early for Ferrari to make a call about Bearman’s future, there is no doubt that the 18-year-old was mightily impressive during his F1 debut in Jeddah. After qualifying 11th and almost knocking out Hamilton in the process, Bearman managed to finish the Grand Prix in seventh.
The British teenager finished ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Hamilton. Soon after Bearman finished ahead of his two compatriots, Hamilton was one of the first to congratulate the 18-year-old with a handshake.
Hamilton’s praises for Bearman then also continued in his post-race interviews. As per Crash.net, Hamilton praised Bearman for delivering such a magnificent performance for a top side like Ferrari on such short notice.
The British prodigy received only three hours of notice, following which he took part in the third free practice session. And after just one full practice session, he stepped into qualifying and then his maiden race. Now, considering Vasseur’s promise to Bearman, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the 18-year-old.
