Oliver Bearman will drive for Haas in another FP1 session this weekend. After completing his first FP1 session of 2024 in Imola, the British driver is scheduled to get some more mileage in F1 machinery. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has been vocal about his belief in the youngster’s potential.
Even before Komatsu became team principal, he was very complimentary of Bearman’s abilities. As Chief Race Engineer at Haas in late 2023, Komatsu explained how impressively Bearman fulfilled his duties in Free Practice.
There were already whispers that Bearman was in contention for a future seat at Haas. By the end of 2023, the Ferrari academy driver established himself as one of the most promising youngsters in Formula 2.
When Guenther Steiner began changing his tune on rookies in his final weeks at the team, it was clear a shift had taken place. The influence of Fred Vasseur’s team is likely to have played a role in this.
Bearman to drive in Spain FP1 session
Oliver Bearman is scheduled to have six free practice runs in 2024. His second is this weekend, Komatsu confirms:
“Of course, we are evaluating him. If he is not [under] consideration, we wouldn’t be running him in FP1, and the next time he’s going to be in the car is in Barcelona.”
AUTODROMO INTERNAZIONALE ENZO E DINO FERRARI, ITALY – MAY 17: Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, sits in the car in the garage during the Emilia Romagna GP at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Friday May 17, 2024 in imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Sutton / LAT Images)
So far this year, the 19-year-old’s F2 campaign has been tricky. A combination of bad luck and Prema’s poor set-ups have certainly contributed to his poor form.
Still, this should not significantly impact Bearman’s chances of joining F1 next season. Although better results are obviously desired, Ayao Komatsu has already explained that his FP1 outings are more important than his Formula 2 results.
Considering the data Haas can collect, this prioritisation seems fair.
Bearman is understood to be the first option at Haas for 2025. The bigger question is whether Ocon, Magnussen or someone else will drive alongside the youngster.
In any case, this weekend can provide another important data point for his road to F1.
