Haas boss Komatsu convinced Bearman is a future Ferrari F1 driver

Haas workforce principal Ayao Komatsu is in little doubt that Oliver Bearman shall be a future Method 1 driver for Ferrari.

The Italian workforce has began working with Lewis Hamilton this week, however fellow Briton Bearman, who’s a part of the workforce’s driver programme, can be coming into this season as a full-time F1 driver.

Bearman has been shipped out on mortgage to Haas after a string of spectacular performances throughout FP1 periods for the Banbury-based workforce in 2023 and 2024.

The 19-year-old additionally stuffed in for the stricken Carlos Sainz to drive for Ferrari within the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP when the Spaniard had appendicitis.

He defied expectations to complete seventh which earned him plaudits, however Komatsu stated he by no means doubted Bearman from the second he had his Haas debut in FP1 on the 2023 Mexico GP.

When requested by Autosport if he noticed Bearman as a future Ferrari driver, Komatsu stated: “Sure. He’s a Ferrari driver and we have got him for 2 years – plus an choice for an additional one – but when we do a very good job and if Ollie does a very good job, there is no means Ferrari can ignore that.

“It is humorous about Ollie being a rookie as a result of I do not deal with him as a rookie within the sense, as a result of we pay numerous consideration to what he has to say.

“After all he is obtained good expertise in Ferrari’s schooling, simulator, and so on. And he is been driving our automotive – VF-23 and VF-24.

“Each time he will get within the automotive, his suggestions’s been wonderful. The strategy has been wonderful, pace has been nice.

“You noticed in Baku and Interlagos, each qualifying periods he out-qualified [former Haas driver] Nico [Hulkenberg], who was our reference.”

Komatsu has made it clear that he has been impressed by Bearman’s suggestions and his angle, shelving his personal try to indicate his pace by working by the workforce’s programmes throughout his FP1 outings.

The Haas workforce principal is now desirous to see how Bearman progresses along with his F1 profession and can see Ferrari to debate how it is going to be monitoring his improvement.

“I am certain Ferrari need common suggestions,” Komatsu added. “I am truly going to see them within the first week of February so I can perceive precisely what sort of suggestions they want.

“However I might like to provide them suggestions as properly, as a result of they’ve been an important a part of his profession, so that they know Ollie higher than us, so any assist we are able to get from that facet can be useful as properly.

“I might prefer to work fairly carefully with the man who has been coping with Ollie.”