Ollie Bearman still dreams of Ferrari F1 seat as talks stay "very open"

Oliver Bearman still dreams of securing a Formula 1 seat with Ferrari in the future.

The 20-year-old driver made his debut in the championship at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, standing in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, after the Spaniard was taken for emergency surgery for appendicitis.

His debut made Bearman the youngest-ever driver to compete for the Maranello outfit. He qualified in 11th and scored points with a seventh-place finish in the grand prix.

By the end of the 2024 season, Bearman had secured a race seat with Haas for 2025, but after becoming part of the Ferrari family since his Formula 4 days, conversations remain open with Ferrari.

"Yeah, the dialogue remained very open throughout the year and will continue to stay like that as long as I'm affiliated with Ferrari," Bearman told the High Performance podcast.

"And I think it was very important for me to make clear what I was going through at Haas. There are some differences between a team like Ferrari and Haas.

"The scale is on a different level. And for example, coming from having done that race in Ferrari and having what is a lot of support, you have some extra staff in the team and some extra help in a way. And then you go to Haas, it's a bit of a different structure, and especially as a rookie, I felt like I was having to learn on the job a bit more than a team like Ferrari.

Oliver Bearman, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

"That's a given, given the size of the teams. But I felt like I had to make clear the struggles that I was going through with Haas to Ferrari because you see the result, and that doesn't tell the full story, not even half of it. So that was important, and then what they tell me is what they want to see from me, where they want to see me improve, what they're looking for, which is what you can imagine, just drive a bit quicker every weekend."

Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025 alongside Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc. At 41 years old, the Briton has been at the centre of retirement rumours for some time. While Hamilton has claimed that he has no plans of leaving F1, Bearman has been linked to his seat in the future.

"Yeah, of course," Bearman said when asked if his dream is still to drive for Ferrari in F1. "They've trusted me first of all with their car two years ago now. But they've also believed in me from a very early stage.

"I was in Formula 4 when they picked me up. They've invested a lot in me, and my dream is to put the red suit back on and be in a red car one day. But I also think that this year is such a great opportunity with Haas with the new regulations. I feel like we can do a lot."