Jolyon Palmer is absolutely spot on to think that Ollie Bearman will ‘surprise everyone’ in 2026

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Jolyon Palmer is backing Haas driver Oliver Bearman to be the surprise package of the 2026 Formula 1 season, and he is absolutely on the money.

Everyone got a glimpse of the Brit’s potential when he made his debut for Ferrari in Jeddah in 2024, finishing P7. Since then, he has made a name for himself as a promising talent, enjoying a strong rookie season in 2025.

Is Oliver Bearman the right choice to fill the next empty race seat at Ferrari?

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Bearman outclassed his experienced teammate Esteban Ocon last year, to the point where Ocon’s future at Haas is now in major doubt. But on the other side of the garage, the 20-year-old is making huge strides that are certain to surprise people.

His second half of 2025 was particularly impressive, regularly challenging for points and even a podium in Mexico City, where he finished fourth. Heading into 2026, it is all pointing towards an even stronger season, as Palmer rightly notes.

Jolyon Palmer is absolutely right to say Ollie Bearman will be the surprise of 2026

Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, the former F1 driver named Bearman as his surprise of the 2026 season.

He said:“I’ll say Ollie Bearman, but I don’t think it will surprise me if he does well, because I’m kind of expecting it, but I think it has to look good. And he finished the last year really well. I think he’ll surprise everyone.”

The 2026 regulations are set to shake up everything this season, but that comes at an advantage to the Haas star. Bearman is perfectly prepared for this season, given that he has been used to constant category and car changes throughout his career.

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His adaptability will put him in a decent position, not to mention that Bearman has also changed his driving style to combat the frontrunners, such as Max Verstappen. He is already preparing to fight in 2026, and he could be in a position to do that.

Haas had an encouraging pre-season, with Ferrari’s power unit looking impressive in reliability and in practice starts. Bearman could find himself at the top of the midfield and maybe even challenging for a podium, as he did last year.

Of course, there are elements of his craft to improve, with David Croft telling Bearman to work on his ‘nervous’ overtaking. But with what he showed in 2025, combined with Haas’ improvements and Toyota’s backing, the Brit could shock people in 2026.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Oliver Bearman from F1 stats to net worth

Harry Benjamin and Marc Priestley back Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso to surprise people in 2026

Speaking just before Palmer, commentator Harry Benjamin and former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley gave their picks for the surprise package of 2026.

For Benjamin, it’s Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar: “I’m going to go in a good way, and I’m going to say my surprise driver of the year will be Isack Hadjar for the fact that he will actually be able to show competitiveness within the second Red Bull seat.

“So he will be able to finish behind Max Verstappen by only one position where possible. He’ll be able to help the team get points.”

Interesting, Priestley went for Fernando Alonso, given all the noise surrounding Aston Martin and their struggles heading into the 2026 season: “Well, I’ll tell you what I’m really intrigued by with a driver, and that’s Fernando Alonso.

“Because I’m intrigued to see how far into the season it’s going to be before he chucks his first grenade out towards the media when everything’s going wrong. Because it’s going to happen. We all know it’s going to happen.”