Oliver Bearman: British driver should take next available Ferrari seat after strong performance at Haas, says Martin Brundle F1 News

Oliver Bearman should take the next available seat at Ferrari, according to Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle.

The 20-year-old Briton secured fourth place for Haas in Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, securing his best result to date in his impressive full rookie season in F1.

Bearman signed with the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2021 and made his grand prix debut as a substitute for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia last year before being loaned to Haas on a multi-year deal in early 2025.

Ferrari has signed Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc until at least the end of 2026, but the grid could change after the first season of the new regulations, which are introduced next year.

Reacting to Bearman’s performance in Mexico on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ The F1 Show, Brundle said: “It’s just amazing. If you give that young man a chance, he’ll grab it, just like he did with Ferrari in Saudi.”

“He continued to be under a lot of pressure, especially towards the end with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren behind him.

“He gave Max (Verstappen) some movement and made it stick, but the four wheels didn’t come off the road.

“The minute there’s a seat at Ferrari for whatever reason, Bearman should be there as far as I’m concerned. I think he’s outstanding, he’s a quick learner and he’s made the most of his opportunity.”

Listen to the full episode below as Brundle, Jacques Villeneuve and Simon Lazenby discuss the key moments following the race in Mexico, where Lando Norris won in dominating style and became the new leader in a tense title race with four races left in the season.

Villeneuve: “Bearman is better in the major leagues”

Bearman had a notable performance in Mexico, climbing to 13th in the drivers’ standings, but there was clear evidence of his talent throughout the season.

Bearman has an 11-9 advantage over Haas teammate Esteban Ocon in both qualifying and head-to-head races this season.

Bearman’s form is very impressive considering the Frenchman is in his 10th season driving in F1 and has raced closely with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly at Alpine in recent years.

Sky Sports F1 pundit and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has been particularly impressed with Bearman’s progress.

“He got off to a great start, had a bit of a slump, but was just rebuilding himself,” Villeneuve told the F1 Show. “It’s always nice to see a driver come back and come back stronger. Analyze it, study it, work with the team and figure it out. That’s what he’s done.”

“When you see progress, you always wonder, ‘Okay, when is the progress going to stop?’ It’s very promising.

“He was impressive this weekend because he was a complete deal. He was fast and the pressure didn’t affect him.”

One of the highlights of Baerman’s performance in Mexico was when he took advantage of an altercation between Hamilton and Verstappen to pass the Dutchman and keep his cool in a wheel-to-wheel race with the reigning world champion.

Villeneuve added: “He’s a very aggressive driver, but always under control, has incredible racing technique and great 3D spatial awareness, and not many drivers in F1 have that right now.”

“Even some of the top guys will see it. Sometimes you’ll see some moves and wonder what he was thinking? Where did he think his car was going to end? Or why didn’t he notice there were other cars on the track next to him?”

“And he seems to have that (awareness), which is great and very promising for the future.

“He’s good under pressure and is the type of driver that I think will be good on the big teams and in the big leagues. He’s better now than he was in the smaller categories, which is very important.”

F1’s thrilling title race continues in Brazil with a sprint weekend at the São Paulo Grand Prix from November 7th to 9th, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract