Haas has officially announced that its reserve driver Oliver Bearman will join the team as a full-time Formula 1 driver next year.
The Ferrari Academy prodigy had been anticipated to secure the seat after his impressive debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh while filling in for Carlos Sainz. Bearman expressed his excitement about the opportunity, stating it felt “incredible” to achieve his childhood dream.
“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me,” said Bearman. “To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud, To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene [Haas], Ayao [Komatsu] and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team.”
Bearman’s journey includes several practice sessions with Haas over the past two seasons and a victory in Formula 2. The team is confident in Bearman’s potential to succeed.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu remarked, “It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1. He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car. Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned.”
Bearman will participate in free practice for Haas at Silverstone this weekend and will also have FP1 outings in Hungary, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi.
A member of Ferrari’s young driver program since 2021, Bearman has shown remarkable progress. He won the Italian F4 championship in 2021, finished third overall in the F3 championship in 2022, and stepped up to F2 last year, securing four wins and finishing sixth in the championship. Despite a challenging season with Prema in 2024, he recently won a sprint race in Austria and is currently 14th in the standings.
While Haas has confirmed Bearman, the team has yet to decide on his 2025 teammate. Esteban Ocon, who is leaving Alpine, and Valtteri Bottas are potential candidates, while current driver Kevin Magnussen is hoping his performance can earn him another contract.
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