Helmut Marko tells Ferrari what they have to do with Oliver Bearman after Saudi GP debut

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Red Bull director Helmut Marko has told Ferrari what they must do ‘immediately’ after Oliver Bearman impressed on his F1 debut in Saudi Arabia.

Bearman, standing in for an unwell Carlos Sainz, finished seventh in the best result for a debutant since 2015.

And Marko, writing in his column for Speedweek, has advised his rivals on what to do next.

Plan-A is for Bearman to return to Formula 2 duties with Prema in Australia next time out.

That will depend on whether medical staff pass Sainz fit after he underwent an operation for appendicitis.

Provided the Spaniard does return, Bearman will at least have the opportunity to feature in six further F1 weekends with Haas.

The American team, who have an engine supply deal with Ferrari, will allow him to drive in multiple FP1 sessions.

Bearman may have to bide his time if he wants to race for the Prancing Horse, with Lewis Hamilton set to join alongside Charles Leclerc for 2025.

Red Bull are specialists in youth development having brought the likes of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo through their ranks.

Helmut Marko sends message to Ferrari over ‘sensational’ Oliver Bearman

Marko was full of praise for a ‘powerful’ debut from Bearman, who ‘almost’ matched Leclerc at certain points.

But he says the Scuderia now need to decide where he fits into their plans long term.

He’s told Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur to secure him a seat further down the grid, potentially at Haas.

But he fears that Bearman’s immediate success could end up costing the team ‘dearly’.

He wrote: “I found Ollie Bearman’s debut in the Ferrari sensational.

“To be on a track like Jeddah like that without much training was really powerful.

“At times he drove almost at the same level as Charles Leclerc.

“But what is Ferrari doing now? They are buying the expensive Hamilton, Leclerc has a long-term contract, and now Bearman is showing off a super talent.

“If I were Fred Vasseur, I would immediately find Bearman an F1 cockpit in another team, I don’t know, at Haas for example.

“Now they have to raise money again to train him. The teams are currently relatively financially saturated and will pay dearly for this.”

Will Oliver Bearman join Haas?

Haas stand out as the likeliest destination for Bearman ahead of the 2025 season given the existing relationship that’s in place.

What’s more, their current drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, are both in the final year of their deals.

The team have been told that they would have a ‘very strong’ line-up if they renewed Hulkenberg’s contract and replaced Magnussen with Bearman.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu regards the Briton as a ‘total package’, though he will of course have to impress on his free-practice outings.

While Ferrari academy chief Jock Clear claims he enjoyed a better F1 debut than 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, he knows there’s room for improvement too.

One of those is qualifying, with Clear admitting Bearman’s run to P11 ‘got a bit messy’.