Fred Vasseur explains why he placed Oliver Bearman at Haas for his rookie F1 season

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Oliver Bearman is enjoying a modest rookie season in Formula 1 with Haas, putting in some impressive performances in the VF-25.

The young Brit put his name on the F1 driver market with his debut with Ferrari back in 2024. Replacing Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian GP due to appendicitis, Bearman narrowly missed out on Q3 and finished an impressive P7.

The Ferrari junior signed a multi-year deal with Haas a few months later, but not before making two cameo appearances for the team in Baku and Sao Paulo last year. Now partnered with Esteban Ocon, the 20-year-old has had his ups and downs in 2025.

Sunday has been Bearman’s strong point this season, with many strong performances from the back of the grid. He recorded his best finish in F1 to date at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing P6 after starting from the pit lane.

Karun Chandhok says Bearman has made some ‘unforgivable’ mistakes in 2025, which is to be expected from a rookie. Ferrari certainly knew he was a raw talent coming into the season.

Fred Vasseur wanted Oliver Bearman to have a ‘bit less exposure’ for his rookie F1 season with Haas

Bearman made the step up from Formula 2 alongside PREMA teammate Kimi Antonelli. The pair have had a different path to F1, with the Italian being thrown straight in at Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli has shown flashes of his talent, but the pressure has been getting to him, having scored just 16 points from the last nine races. Racing for a top team as a rookie brings a level of exposure that can be too much for newcomers, which is exactly what Ferrari did not want to do with Bearman.

Team principal Fred Vasseur told Beyond The Grid that he wanted to give Bearman ‘time to learn’ at Haas and gain experience in F1.

“Each one is different, you know that we had Ollie Bearman,” he explained. “Ollie did very, very well with us last year in Saudi Arabia when he had to jump into the car on Saturday morning.

“And we decided to put him with Ayao this season to get experience, a bit less exposure and to have time to learn.

“Each guy is different, each situation is different, and I don’t want to make any comment on what Toto did with Kimi.”

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Oliver Bearman is being backed as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Ferrari

Sitting 16th in the standings with 16 points, Bearman is having an acceptable rookie season in F1. But he will certainly want to make a step next year as the 2026 regulations come into effect.

He has every reason to want to make an impression with Haas, as Ferrari have chosen Bearman to succeed Hamilton when he decides to retire from the sport.

Bearman knows how to get a better ‘shot’ at joining Ferrari, in that he must show his talents ‘now’ at Haas. Currently, he has displayed some standout performances from the back of the grid, but mistakes have also been common.

Bearman has already displayed one Ferrari ‘trait’ after the British GP, as he felt confidence in the Haas F1 car like he did with Ferrari’s ‘for the first time’. He seems to be in the perfect position to join the Maranello outfit, but he must find that consistency.