18-Year-Old Prodigy Bearman 'Deserves A Chance' But Not In Haas Says Team Principal
F1Thursday, 14 March 2024 at 22:45
The team principal of Haas, Ayao Komatsu, backed his current driver over the rookie Oliver Bearman after his impressive debut in F1.
Oliver Bearman just had one of the most incredible rookie driver debuts in Formula 1, as he got the chance to drive the Ferrari during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old, who became the youngest Brit ever to race in F1, scored a P7 at one of the most challenging tracks in the F1 calendar - Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and even Helmut Marko already asserted that the British youngster should get a seat in F1 very soon.
However, how soon can that be? Bearman himself admitted he doesn't know what else to do to prove he deserves a seat in F1, but it isn't easy for rookies to get a chance nowadays.
On the positive side, Ferrari is committed to fostering Bearman's talent. They prepared multiple FP session appearances for him throughout the season and even a private test on F1-75 on Wednesday, the 13th, at the Fiorano circuit.
Being part of Ferrari Academy, Bearman probably has only two primary choices at the moment: Ferrari or Haas. But, Scuderia secured Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc until the end of the season 2026, so only Haas remains.
Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg's contracts are only valid until the end of this season. They are practically fighting for survival in F1. If one of them fails to perform, we might see Bearman replace him.
However, as reported by mirror.co.uk, the team principal of Haas, Ayao Komatsu, told the media after the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix he wouldn't choose Bearman over Magnussen or Hulkenberg at this point of the season.
"[Bearman] deserves a chance next year, I guess. [But] penalty aside, Kev's done fantastic today. Nico delivered as well."
"So how can I sit here and say, '[Bearman is] our driver for next year'? Based on today's performance, [it's] Nico and Kevin."
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