Vasseur downplays future Ferrari F1 chance for Bearman

The Frenchman says that the 18-year-old should concentrate on his F2 programme and make the most of the Haas FP1 running that he has lined up, after he successfully stood in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia.

Ferrari has no vacancies for the immediate future as Charles Leclerc’s contract was recently extended, while Lewis Hamilton will join from Mercedes for 2025 on a multi-year deal.

Ferrari can potentially place Bearman elsewhere until it has a vacant seat, with Haas the obvious opportunity, although team principal Ayao Komatsu has stressed that he’s happy with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.

When asked if Bearman could eventually follow in Hamilton’s footsteps as a Briton at Ferrari, Vasseur made it clear that it’s too early for such suggestions, especially given that the seven-time world champion hasn’t even started.

“Don't start to speak about after Lewis Hamilton, Lewis is still not in the team!” he said when asked about Bearman’s chances after his impressive drive to seventh in Jeddah.

“But it's a good signal for Ollie for sure, it's an important milestone. In Melbourne and Imola he will be back on the F2 project, and the most important challenge for Ollie will be this one.

“He will start soon the FP1 sessions with Haas, and this will be important also for us to give him experience and mileage in the car. But for sure with this one [Jeddah] he has the result in the pocket already.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24 battles with Oliver Bearman, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Bearman will be undertaking an extended programme of FP1 sessions for Haas with outings at Imola, Barcelona, Silverstone, Hungary, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi.

Vasseur stressed that he has to continue to learn and show improvement.

“You have to consider Jeddah is a step, not the final target,” he said. “He did well this weekend, but he will have other challenges in front of him in the future with F2.

“He will do a couple of FP1s with us and Haas during the season and all of you, including me, in six months' time we won't speak any more about Jeddah, we'll speak about Mexico, Brazil [sic], and if he's doing well or not.

“And every single day will be a new challenge. But for sure, if he's keeping the same approach as today, it will go well.”

Bearman landed the Jeddah drive because he was the designated Ferrari reserve for the weekend, despite being busy with his own F2 commitments. That is also the case for the upcoming Australian GP.

Ferrari didn’t keep its options open by having either Antonio Giovinazzi or Robert Shwartzman on standby in Jeddah because, with a busy 24-race F1 calendar and both men also committed to the WEC and required for Maranello sim work, it makes sense to share out reserve duties and take advantage of the F2 weekends when Bearman will be present.

“I took the decision in the winter because I found it a bit stupid last year to ask Antonio to do 22 or 24 races when he was doing in parallel the LMH programme,” said Vasseur when asked by Motorsport.com about the schedule.

“The LMH is quite important for us – it's a huge challenge – and I don't want to ask Antonio or Shwartzman to travel with us and to do F1 the week after Qatar, and a race in between.

“It's why we decided when Ollie's with us, he will be the reserve, and when he's not with us, he'll be in the sim.”

Giovinazzi's first 2024 appearance as F1 reserve will be at the Japanese GP.

Watch: F1 2024 Saudi Arabian GP Review – The Red Bull Machine Powers On