Ever since he made his one-off appearance as Carlos Sainz’s replacement, Oliver Bearman has emerged on most teams’ radar. However, only two of those had a realistic chance of signing him – Ferrari and Haas. Given his association with Ferrari’s driver academy, the connection does not come as a surprise. The link with Haas once again emerges through Ferrari, the team they buy their engines from.
The Maranello side has its driver lineup set with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. However, they wouldn’t risk losing Bearman to a rival by making him wait for a regular seat for too long. That is where the partnership with Haas comes in handy. And given the admiration team principal Ayao Komatsu has for the 19-year-old, Haas wouldn’t mind having him.
No confirmation of the move has arrived until now but The Daily Mail is certain the American team has already landed the Briton’s signature. The publication has gone a step further and made claims over the salary Bearman will draw. As per the report, the incumbent F2 driver will earn 250,000 to 300,000 GBP ($318,000 to $381,000).
Journalist Jonathan McEvoy claims the duration of the contract to be two years. There is a catch, though. Haas holds the option to keep Bearman for the second year only if he impresses with his performance over a year. If that happens, the young driver will double his salary in the second year with the team.
The contract will make Bearman the fourth British driver on the grid. Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and George Russell are the other three. Half-British driver Alex Albon, meanwhile, drives under the Thai flag.
Haas the perfect launchpad for Oliver Bearman
It wasn’t too long ago when Haas was languishing at the bottom of the table. However, the setback from 2023 saw the team make some bold decisions, including the sacking of its team principal Guenther Steiner. With a strong start to 2024, Haas is currently stationed in seventh in the standings with seven points to their name.
Although, things are not all hunky-dory, though. Six of those seven points have come through some strong performances delivered by Nico Hulkenberg. Kevin Magnussen, meanwhile, has failed to match his level and has had to play only second fiddle to his teammate.
Riding high on these performances, the German driver has landed a contract from Sauber for 2025, which will keep him in the team once they rebrand to Audi.
While the empty seat has opened the opportunity for Bearman, he will not have the luxury of a mentor of Hulkenberg’s experience. The team, however, looks solid to make progress under Komatsu, and that perhaps should be enough to bring the 18-year-old up to speed.
