“The next Charles Leclerc?”: Ferrari sign one of the most promising young drivers in the world to their academy

Ferrari has secured the signing of 16-year-old double F4 Champion Ollie Bearman, who is one of the most promising young drivers around. 

The Italian team’s driver academy has produced a number of Formula 1 stars. The likes of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll were a part of it and are now enjoying success in F1 with other teams. Ferrari ‘s ‘young drivers program’ kicked off following their success with the development of legendary Brazilian driver Felipe Massa.

The Maranello based team mentored Massa throughout his time with Sauber. His progress was vital as he helped the Scuderia to consecutive Constructor’s titles in 2007 and 2008.

Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher are the most recent FDA graduates to make their mark in Formula 1. Both drivers enjoyed tremendous success in their junior careers under the guidance of the Italian team.

The Monegasque driver started his F1 journey with Sauber in 2018 and joined Ferrari as their driver the following year. Mick Schumacher, on the other hand, is his rookie season in F1 driving for Haas.

Ollie Bearman’s racing stats are something extraordinary- future Ferrari star?

Drivers like Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman have been sensational in their junior careers. Both of them have been a part of Ferrari’s future F1 plans. However, when it comes to a future F1 seat, they might face stiff competition from Ollie Bearman.

The 16-year-old British driver won the Italian F4 Championship by over 100 points. He followed it up by also winning the ADAC F4 title this year. The two titles he won are arguably the most competitive Championships in that level.

Bearman won 17 races in 2021, which is the kind of domination we see from future Formula 1 stars. Fans and pundits expect the young Briton to feature in Formula 3 or Formula 2 in 2022.

Also read: Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz rue not finishing above Pierre Gasly in Mexico