Oliver Bearman would not view spending another season at Haas in 2027 as a 'bad thing', despite seeing his former F2 team-mate Kimi Antonelli make the step up to Formula 1 and immediately establish himself as a race winner and title contender, even though the two drivers belong to the same generation. Ferrari have effectively locked in their driver line-up for next season following
Charles Leclerc's recent multi-year contract extension, leaving the young Brit with little chance of finding a seat at the Maranello-based team in 2027.
Asked by GPblog in Monaco whether he was disappointed not to have secured a move to a more competitive team like Antonelli, Bearman insisted he remains fully confident in his abilities and believes seeing drivers from his own generation, such as Antonelli and Hadjar, succeed at the front only reinforces that belief, having raced against both throughout the junior categories.
The Brit stressed that he feels no frustration about his current position, describing it simply as part of his journey, while also making clear that he is enjoying his time at Haas and would view staying with the team beyond 2026 as a positive opportunity given the direction in which the outfit is heading.
"I have what it takes. And also seeing someone like Kimi and even Isack, my age, my generation performing at the front is kind of validating myself because I've raced with them in F4, F3, F2. But I'm not disappointed. I'm not sad. It's part of my journey. I'm very much enjoying what I'm doing with Haas. I wouldn't see staying with Haas in 2027 as a bad thing. I think it's a great opportunity. The team is on a fantastic trajectory, and I'm very much enjoying the journey that we're all together."
When asked by GPblog whether he would definitely still be at Haas next season, the Brit kept his cards close to his chest, simply replying: "I don't know."
Asked how he deals with the expectations and attention that come with being one of most highly rated young talents, Bearman admitted it is not something he particularly enjoys, explaining that he prefers to focus on driving and doing his job. The Briton pointed to his unexpected Ferrari debut as a valuable learning experience, as the spotlight was entirely on him, helping him become more comfortable handling pressure and scrutiny.
"It's not the best. I like to just drive the car and do my job, but it's normal. I also had, of course, a fantastic experience doing first ever race with Ferrari. That also was a great learning for me because all of the attention was on me. So, any race I've done since then has been much easier in terms of... I've had more time to prepare, less attention and time to build up, do mistakes, and learn. But it's normal, F1, people love to talk and make stories."