At the beginning of February, Haas revealed that Oliver Bearman would drive in six FP1 sessions this year. This was the first concrete indication that Haas were strongly considering the 19-year-old for an F1 contract. Having impressed team prinicpal Ayao Komatsu, Bearman will race for Haas F1 Team in 2025. An announcement is expected tomorrow.
For some time now, the 19-year-old has been linked to a full-time F1 seat. His last-minute substitute appearance for Ferrari in Jeddah (having taken Pole Position in Formula 2 on Friday) only improved his chances of joining Formula 1.
Speaking of Formula 2, it must be said that Bearman has struggled this year. After establishing himself as a front-runner in his rookie campaign, results have been more difficult to come by in 2024. A combination of misfortune, underperformance from PREMA and other factors have all played a role.
However, Ayao Komatsu clarified earlier in the year that Bearman’s Free Practice appearances would be more important than his F2 results in Haas’ evaluation.
With the decision to give Bearman a contract already made, the British driver’s tricky F2 campaign clearly had very little impact.
Oliver Bearman confirmed, Haas still deciding on his teammate
Much like when Sauber confirmed Nico Hulkenberg in April, Haas will only announce Bearman’s contract tomorrow.
The American outfit is still undecided on who will partner the 19-year-old. An obvious contender for the seat is Kevin Magnussen, who first joined Haas in 2017.
Magnussen’s chances of a contract renewal have not been stellar until now, to say the least. However, strong results like the one he secured in Austria will improve his chances.
Whilst there are other options in the market, they are not spectacular enough for Ayao Komatsu to write off the Dane.
Among those linked to a Haas seat in 2025 is Esteban Ocon. However, the Frenchman is also negotiating with other teams, including Williams.
With Carlos Sainz yet to sign a contract, there could be movements from other drivers in the market. In this unpredictable climate, potential replacements for Magnussen (like Ocon) could commit themselves elsewhere.
This makes it difficult to pinpoint a ‘favourite’ to drive for Haas next year. As ever, the situation could change relatively quickly.
Haas traditionally wait until the end of the season before confirming their full driver line-up. Because of this, Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu could some time before deciding who will drive alongside Oliver Bearman next year.
