Haas made F1 news earlier this week, announcing on Thursday ahead of the British Grand Prix that youngster Oliver Bearman will be one of their two drivers for the 2025 F1 season.
The move led many to wonder if Haas was looking to acquire a more experienced driver to take the position next to Bearman. Team principal Ayao Komatsu said on Friday FIA press conference That this is the plan.
“Yeah, of course, you can’t have two rookies, especially on a team like ours.” Komatsu said Friday. When asked if Bearman’s promotion would influence Haas’ decision regarding the second seat, he replied: “With Ollie as a rookie, we will try to appoint someone with more experience in F1.”
Commenting on the decision to promote Bearman to a full-time F1 seat, Komatsu called the young driver a “perfect match” for Haas.
“We’re a team that’s still growing. We’re a relatively new team. And we’re starting afresh, so to speak, and improving our performance. And Ollie is, of course, a young driver who is very talented, very strong-minded,” Komatsu said. “And he’s very calm but mature, he’s got speed and he’s a very good team player. So it’s just the perfect combination for how we want to progress as a team.”
The Haas team principal praised Bareman’s approach in the limited practice sessions he has seen as a reserve for the Haas team, including his FP1 debut a year ago.
“[T]”The first time I had him in the car in Mexico – the first time in an F1 car in an FP1 session – that was impressive. Of course he was excited,” Komatsu explains. “But he understood the team’s objectives – what this session meant for the team, what they needed to achieve. And of course he was trying to go as fast as he could. But in that bigger picture, he always had a very good understanding of the situation.
“So that was the impression before. And, of course, there was no need for him to change that today. Of course, he would have been very happy to drive in front of his home crowd after the announcement, so he enjoyed it. But fundamentally, the approach was exactly the same.”
Bearman made an impressive F1 debut earlier this season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing in seventh place in place of the ill Carlos Sainz Jr. The young driver impressed the entire paddock by making it into Q2 and qualifying in 11th place despite only having one hour of practice before qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
In the main event, despite the more experienced drivers chasing him on fresher tyres, Bareman held off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages, a performance that caught attention across the sport and paved the way for a full-time seat.
While it remains to be seen who his teammate will be, we do know a little more about Haas’ future and whether a veteran will line up alongside a rookie next season.
Will it be Kevin Magnussen who returns to Haas, or one of the other drivers looking for a seat, such as Esteban Ocon who has been linked with Haas in recent weeks, or perhaps another driver like Valtteri Bottas?
We should have more details soon.
