Oliver Bearman, 18, is the next star driver in Ferrari’s F1 team. The Italian giant needs to think carefully about what it plans to do with its golden nugget, writes Urheilu’s Joel Sippola.
Joel SippolaSports reporter
The Formula One season has been boring for the first eight races of the season. There have been few topics of conversation. Red Bull is superior and Max Verstappen cruises from victory to victory.
You have to focus on the class below, on the formula two. There 18 year old Oliver Bearman is organizing quite a sensation. The super-talented British driver’s attitude can have long-lasting effects on the Formula Ones as well.
Dazzling entrance
Bearman, who missed the championship by only seven points in the F3 series last season, has entered the series with a bang. In the spring in Baku, we got a taste of the rookie driver’s driving skills.
He became the first driver in the F2 series to be the fastest in all the driving events of the weekend: practice, qualifying, sprint race and the actual race.
In the previous race weekend in Barcelona, Bearman proved his raw speed again. Brittikuski would surely win from the pole position. Three wins and fourth place in the points table are very strong results from the 18-year-old results coach.
Of course, Bearman has been able to enjoy his team-mate leading the series Frederik Vestin like a top team from Prema’s fast car. On the other hand, talent is knowing how to utilize strong equipment.
For example, in the last F2 season, the Danish Vesti couldn’t keep up with his team mate at the time with the fast ART car Theo Pourchaire against. Bearman, on the other hand, has responded immediately to the call.
A bitter decision by Ferrari
Bearman’s talent has been noted in good time by Ferrari, who acquired him in 2021 for their driver academy. At that time, the Finnish promise Tuukka Taponen was left out of the famous Academy at the last moments.
Bearman is a golden nugget for Ferrari, the likes of which the Italian team has not had in their hands since Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s current star driver won the GP3 and F2 series championships in 2016 and 2017 consecutively.
If Bearman continues his dazzling performances and gets a touch of consistency in his grips, the championship of the F2 series already in the results season is possible. Championship or not, the British youngster offers Ferrari a tricky puzzle.
Ferrari cannot afford to lose a driver talent like Bearman. On the other hand, in recent years it has been seen that even the championship of the F2 series does not guarantee an F1 place for the following season.
McLaren’s 22-year-old rookie driver Oscar Piastri won the F2 series championship a couple of seasons ago as the result driver, but he had to wait a year for the F1 place. Having taken last year’s F2 championship in style by Felipe Drugovich is currently settling for the role of reserve driver for Aston Martin.
On the other hand, Pourchaire, 19, who is fighting the hardest for the championship this F2 season with Vest, has remained on the sidelines for the time being in terms of the F1 place, although he drove the previous two seasons in the lower class in an upward direction. Last year’s second place in the F2 series didn’t translate either Valtteri Bottas the heads of the management figures of the Alfa Romeo team he represents.
However, as an 18-year-old rookie driver, Bearman has put up such displays that have certainly not gone unnoticed by other F1 teams. Ferrari needs to think carefully about what it does with its diamond.
Ungrateful situation
Ferrari drove Leclerc into the F1 series through Sauber. Today, the team bearing the name Alfa Romeo (formerly Sauber) used to be a kind of junior team of Ferrari, but with the future collaboration with Audi, it is a more independent organization.
For Bearman, the most potential place is Haas, to which Ferrari has also had a link. Passed through the Ferrari Academy Mick Schumacher drove in the American team for two seasons.
Haas’ current driver duo is made up of experienced drivers Nico Hulkenberg mixed Kevin Magnussen. The 35-year-old Hülkenberg is fast in qualifying, but he has challenges with the race pace. Both drivers are easily replaced by super talent. On the other hand, either of them would be a good balancing driver for Bearman.
If Bearman debuts in F1 already next season, he would become the third youngest driver of all time in the series.
Bearman’s upward curve may put the other driver pledges in the Ferrari Academy at a disadvantage. They also include Tuukka Taponen, who was elected to the academy last year.
Taponen has been spotted in the Italian F4 series this season, but he is not yet at the top of the points table. The future of Finnish hope still looks bright.
However, Bearman is at the top of the food chain at the Academy. In the future, he has a good chance to drive with Leclerc at Ferrari. Taponen and the other Ferrari junkies will have to wait for the Leclerc-Bearman driver pair to renew.
You can discuss the topic on 2.7. until 11 p.m. Tunnus is required for commenting.