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Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc described it as “a matter of time” before Oliver Bearman becomes a full-time rival in Formula 1.
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However, predicting a full-time drive in F1 is virtually impossible these days, and that’s mainly because there are only twenty cars on the grid and most of those seats are filled by drivers on long-term contracts.
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We hope F1 adds an 11th or even 12th car to the grid in the near future to give a few deserving drivers a chance.
Oliver Bearman made waves in Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia with a composed drive to seventh on his debut for Ferrari in place of the sidelined Carlos Sainz.
Bearman has long been lauded for Formula 1, but the mature approach of the 18-year-old – the third-youngest racer in history – only accelerated the prospect of him securing a full-time seat in 2025.
Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc described it as “a matter of time” before Bearman becomes a full-time rival, while world champions Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also praised the young Brit.
Assuming Sainz gets the green light to return to Australia, Bearman will return to Formula 2 for the rest of the year. Missing a round in F2 will make it harder to win the title, but his starring show in Saudi Arabia was a pretty good application for a future promotion.
Bearman has six more scheduled FP1 runs with the Haas Formula 1 team, which he impressed in his three appearances in 2023, and is expected to complete the mandatory two rookie FP1 outings for Ferrari.
But where will Ferrari protégé Bearman go in 2025?
Ferrari is a no-go with Lewis Hamilton joining Leclerc, while there is no guarantee that partner team Haas would take the youngster despite his impressive performance.
Bearman’s debut highlights one problem with modern Formula 1: the lack of seats. IndyCar has 27 full-time competitors, MotoGP 22 – with the option for wildcards – while virtually every major championship has more than Formula 1’s 20 seats.
The desire of many for expansion comes against the backdrop of Formula 1 management showing little interest in expanding the grid after rejecting Andretti’s convincing request.
There are also very few of the current twenty drivers whose position can be questioned given the strength of the grid; even those most at risk receive awards in the junior categories.
If there goods more seats, or if vacancies were to arise, this is who we would like to see get a full-time opportunity in Formula 1:
Oliver Beerman
Evidently. The 18-year-old Bearman was already one of the most highly rated youngsters when he won titles in Formula 4, finished second as a rookie in Formula 3 and took four victories in his first Formula 2 campaign in 2023. Speed and ability soon made him impressed Haas, and while his 2024 Formula 2 season started poorly in Bahrain, his pole position in Saudi Arabia showed he and Prema were back on track. A phone call from Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur changed the complexion of his weekend – and possibly his career.
Alex Palou
Alex Palou’s European junior career was fairly average, but he never had a chance with a leading team and had no entry into Formula 1. The move to Super Formula in 2019 was a career-changing path, but a prosperous one as he finished third finished in the overall standings, moved to IndyCar and immediately fought at the sharp end of the pack.
Two titles in four seasons speak for themselves, as does his ability to combine speed with consistency, although a few off-court decisions have scorched his reputation. Nevertheless, it would be fascinating to see how Palou – who turns 27 on April 1 and is the youngest of IndyCar’s established frontrunners – would fare in Formula 1.
Liam Lawson
It’s a bizarre anomaly that Liam Lawson hasn’t won a single championship since 2019, having been fast in everything he’s raced. At 22, he has already finished second in Super Formula and DTM, won races and finished third in the Formula 2 Championship, and has competed in five Formula 1 Grands Prix.
Those F1 races took place in mid-2023 when Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined by a broken hand, allowing reserve Lawson to climb into AlphaTauri’s AT04. Lawson impressed with his pace and approach, culminating in a ninth-place finish in Singapore. The renamed RB F1 team opted to retain Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda for 2024, but Lawson remains in the wings as a reserve for both Red Bull teams as they battle for a chance in 2025.
Theo Pourchaire
Theo Pourchaire has had an unusual career. He was so young when he made his mark in Formula 3 that taking three years to win the Formula 2 title somewhat tarnished his reputation. He also, atypically, scored just one victory in a title-winning campaign that spanned 26 races. Nevertheless, he is only 20 and is Sauber’s reserve driver, and those with a memory will remember how he pushed Oscar Piastri very, very hard for the Formula 3 crown in 2020. Sauber has Pourchaire on something of a gap year in Super Formula posted. , in Japan, and expectations should be low as his Impul team has rarely been competitive in the category. But his work behind the scenes at Sauber could still put him in contention in 2025.
Kimi Antonelli
The 17-year-old Italian may only race in Formula 1 given his youth, but given his junior career and his close ties with Mercedes, he is already firmly on the radar. Antonelli is an external contender for the vacant 2025 seat at Mercedes and is set for private test days in his car for 2022 to further his development. Antonelli has already won titles in Formula 4 and Formula Regional, and has bypassed the usual move into Formula 3 to spend 2024 in Formula 2. The year has been moderate, but it is still early.
Colton Herta
Herta has already had several near misses with Formula 1. His IndyCar boss Michael Andretti’s attempt to buy out Sauber in 2021 failed, with Herta lining up for a ride. A future switch to AlphaTauri for 2023 failed because he did not have the points for a super license and could not obtain an exemption.
Herta has always been fast (he became IndyCar’s youngest race winner only in his third start at age 18) and has achieved eleven poles in his IndyCar career. The last few years have been trickier for both Herta and Andretti, and momentum has waned, but he’s still only 23. He doesn’t need Formula 1, but it would be an intriguing storyline to see how Herta would use his natural speed apply in the championship.