Oliver Bearman admits Fernando Alonso would be his perfect F1 mentor after Ferrari spell

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Haas driver Oliver Bearman has been singing the praises of Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in their roles as the two most experienced drivers in Formula 1.

Oliver Bearman is heading into an exciting second full-time campaign on the Formula 1 grid, with Haas looking like the best of the rest after pre-season testing.

There were plenty of highs and lows in Bearman’s first season, but a P4 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, fending off the likes of George Russell and Max Verstappen, highlighted what a talent he is.

The 20-year-old knows this season could be very important in taking the next step, as if Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc decide to leave Ferrari at the end of the year, he’s the next driver in line to race for the Scuderia.

Bearman has already sung the praises of Carlos Sainz heading into the 2026 season, but has now admitted that having someone like Fernando Alonso to guide him could take him to the next level.

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

Oliver Bearman says Fernando Alonso would be the perfect Formula 1 ‘mentor’

Bearman was asked about the older drivers on the grid on the High Performance Podcast and explained: “I have heard a lot of great things about the people who are on the other side of their careers.

“They’ve had the successes, the championships, the race wins. I’ve heard Lewis how much advice he was giving to Isack at the start of the year.

“Fernando and Gabriel as well, you know, he’s his manager. It’s nice that the drivers on the other side, because they were once on our side, coming into the sport, looking up at all of these big stars and racing against them.

“It’s nice that they take on the role of, if you ask them for help, I’m going to give it to you because I’ve been in that scenario and I know how it was. I think that’s a really important quality.”

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Asked about how Hamilton and Hadjar relationship developed, Bearman continued: “I think he actually went and spoke to him, which is step one.”

The British driver was then asked who he would like to receive advice from and said: “Definitely the guys with more experience, probably Fernando, actually.

“I feel like he’s been through it all. He’s so highly-rated on the grid by everyone.

“He’s been through hardships as well. He was at Ferrari, and I think some of those years were some of his best years in terms of performances, but the car wasn’t quite enough to win.

“He’s been through it all, and that’s a great mentor to have.”

Bearman also admitted he would ask Alonso what advice he would give to his 20-year-old self, as that’s the position he’s in right now.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Oliver Bearman’s Fernando Alonso admission could be great news for Audi star Gabriel Bortoleto

Bearman has previously been compared to Alonso by Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, but he’s not the 2025 rookie with the closest relationship with the two-time world champion.

Alonso has looked after Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto since his time in Formula 3, helping secure him a place in McLaren’s junior driver program.

Although McLaren were never going to be able to offer Bortoleto a race seat despite winning back-to-back F3 and F2 titles, he has guided him into Formula 1 with Sauber ahead of Audi’s takeover.

The young Brazilian went under-the-radar last year, but matched Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying and was getting the better of him by the end of the season.

It’s impossible to know just how much of an influence Alonso had last year, but given Aston Martin’s current struggles, the Brazilian protege should be confident that he’s going to be ahead of his mentor going into 2026.