Chelmsford-born racing driver Oliver Bearman (21) joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022 after winning the Italian F4 Championship. The following year, he competed in the FIA F3 category, finishing third overall with Prema.
In 2023, Bearman moved up to F2 and finished sixth, winning three feature races and a Sprint event in Baku. The following year, he made a surprise F1 debut for Ferrari when Carlos Sainz fell ill in Saudi Arabia; Oliver impressed by qualifying P11 before bringing his Ferrari home in P7 ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Super Licence Bans and Emergency Subs at Haas
Bearman was again called upon to substitute for the Ferrari-powered Haas F1 team in Baku when Kevin Magnussen received a one-race ban for collecting 12 penalty points in a 12-month period. Later in São Paulo, Magnussen was too ill to drive, so Bearman again filled in at Haas.
Ferrari was so impressed with its junior driver that it persuaded customer team Haas to make room for Bearman in 2025. He partnered newly recruited Esteban Ocon from Alpine and finished the season three points ahead of the experienced French driver—who himself is no slouch, having matched Fernando Alonso during their time together at Alpine.
A Blocked Path to the Scuderia
At the summer break this year, Bearman has impressed again, standing well ahead of Ocon after scoring 18 of Haas’s 21 points to date. Yet any move up to the Ferrari senior team has been blocked by the announcement of a new long-term contract for Charles Leclerc ahead of his home race in Monaco.
Further, Lewis Hamilton controls the timing of his exit from the Scuderia, which will see him continue at Ferrari at least into 2027. Hamilton has adapted to the SF-26 more quickly than his Monegasque teammate and currently sits second in the drivers’ championship, some 50 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.
According to Spanish sports broadcaster Partidazo COPE, the seven-time world champion over the summer break opened discussions regarding an extension to his contract with Ferrari. The official announcement will presumably come at the Scuderia’s home race in Monza.
The Historical Challenge of the Ferrari Pipeline
All this is problematic for Ollie Bearman, whose future path with Ferrari is now blocked. Unlike Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli, who was fast-tracked by Toto Wolff, progress through the Ferrari Driver Academy tends to be far more delayed.
Over the past 16 years, the Ferrari Driver Academy has delivered just one driver into its works F1 team: Charles Leclerc, who joined the academy in 2016. Lance Stroll was forced to leave for Williams to secure an F1 seat, as was Sergio Pérez, who competed for Sauber before being recruited by McLaren.
Other academy hopefuls who failed to secure a race seat with the senior Ferrari F1 team include Mick Schumacher, Guanyu Zhou, and Robert Shwartzman. History does not hold out a massive amount of hope for Bearman.
Strong Performance vs. Team-Boss Expectations
Bearman, who is highly rated and firmly on the radar of rival F1 teams, is the next driver in line from the Ferrari junior pipeline. When Hamilton struggled during his debut year with the Scuderia, Bearman must have hoped it would not be long before he received a call-up from Fred Vasseur.
Yet Lewis has turned his form around with the Italian team, winning at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. He has backed this up with podiums in China, Canada, Monaco, and at his home race at Silverstone, standing as the primary challenger to championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Outperforming Ocon in Head-to-Head Stats
Bearman has comprehensively beaten his teammate at Haas, with their 2025 head-to-head ending 18–12 in qualifying and 16–14 in races. This season, the tally stands at 11–4 over one lap and 9–6 in Grand Prix races in favor of Bearman.
On paper, Bearman looks like the real deal for Ferrari—just as Charles Leclerc was. However, he may not stick around in the wings waiting for an opportunity in Maranello. Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, he said: “My ultimate goal is maybe a bit selfish, and that’s okay because that’s the reason I’m here—I want to be fighting for world championships.
“So if I can have that opportunity wherever, I will take it. If that means it’s not with Ferrari because they can’t offer me that position, then that’s life. That’s not up to me. Of course, I want to be fighting for wins and championships, and whatever team I believe that’s possible with, I’m happy to take that step with them.”
Paddock Rumours and the Closed Red Bull Door
At the time of the recording, paddock rumors suggested Red Bull Racing was evaluating Bearman as a potential replacement for Max Verstappen. Now, with the Dutch driver committing his long-term future to Red Bull, that particular door appears to have closed.
It was Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies who originally signed Bearman to the Ferrari junior driver academy during his previous role in Maranello, but for now, there appears to be no room at the Red Bull inn either.
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
