Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman will race full time in Formula 1 next year with Haas, but the young Briton is already being singled out as Lewis Hamilton’s most likely successor at the Scuderia.
Bearman enjoyed a dream F1 debut with Ferrari earlier this year at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when the 19-year-old replaced an unwell Carlos Sainz at the last hour and went on to finish a remarkable seventh.
That achievement likely weighed heavily on Haas’s decision to offer the young gun Nico Hulkenberg’s upcoming vacant seat at the US outfit, with Ferrari’s support.
But with Hamilton moving from Mercedes to the Scuderia in 2025, at the age of 40, it has been suggested that Bearman could return to the House of Maranello after serving his two-year apprenticeship with Haas.
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However, the teenage charger remains grounded and intends on keeping his head down to make the most of his full-time promotion to the big time.
"It's hard not to think about it, but I am not thinking about it," Bearman told the media last week at Silverstone, quoted by RacingNews365.
"I feel like all I can do is perform at my best, and that is my goal.
"Anything that comes after that is not really within my control, but I am focusing on my future with Haas at the moment - and I am really excited to get started."
©Haas
While Bearman sees Haas as a crucial stepping stone in his F1 career, he is evidently keeping his long-term Ferrari dream close to his heart.
"The long term dream remains the same, I want to be successful in F1," he added.
"I want to win races and championships, and with the support and loyalty Ferrari have shown me, it is only right that I would want to do that with Ferrari.
"It is every boy's dream, and making my debut with them made that even stronger, but by the same token, I am also looking at this in the short and medium term.
"My short-term is finishing Formula 2 and looking towards next year [in the medium] with Haas, and, I am really excited for that."
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