Toto Wolff sees Oliver Bearman rival as F2’s ‘standout’ driver despite Ferrari gem’s F1 debut

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Toto Wolff believes Mercedes gem Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the ‘standout’ Formula 2 driver despite Oliver Bearman of Ferrari getting his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP.

The Scuderia quickly promoted Bearman from his reserve driver role to replace Carlos Sainz in Jeddah last weekend. Ferrari had to make a late switch as Sainz required surgery after the 29-year-old was diagnosed with appendicitis. Bearman would finish in P7 on his debut in F1.

Bearman was already in Jeddah to race in F2 for Prema, with whom he is also the teammate of Antonelli. Mercedes secured their 17-year-old protégé a drive at the coveted junior series team for the 2024 season as he skipped F3. Bearman also spent the 2023 F2 term at Prema.

Wolff rates Mercedes gem Antonelli over Ferrari talent Bearman

Sainz initially tried to contest the Saudi Arabian GP and drove for Ferrari over FP1 and FP2 as Bearman topped F2’s qualifying session. But the Spaniard could not race, opening a door for Ferrari to debut Bearman in F1. He showed his intelligence to claim P7 from P11 on the grid.

Ferrari trusted Bearman to replace Sainz having had the 18-year-old in their Driver Academy since the end of 2021. He also got his F1 weekend debut for Haas in FP1 at the 2023 Mexico City GP. Haas also ran him in FP1 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP and get him for six FP1s in 2024.

Bearman is the reserve driver for both Haas and Ferrari after sealing those roles in February and January 2024. But Mercedes team principal Wolff feels the Silver Arrows have the most gifted F2 prospect in Antonelli, despite Bearman now being Ferrari’s youngest-ever F1 driver.

“Bearman did a great job,” Wolff told OE24. “But the younger generation is generally very strong. And Kimi is, for me, the standout among the boys.

“Today’s Formula 1 cars are easier to drive because, unlike Formula 2, they have power steering. That makes it less strenuous.”

Mercedes could promote Antonelli to replace Hamilton in 2025

Antonelli is racing in F2 this year as the Mercedes gem skipped F3 after winning the Formula Regional Middle East and European titles in 2023. He also won the 2022 Italian and ADAC F4 championships, like Bearman achieved in 2021 before the Briton finished third in F3 in 2022.

What Bearman showed in the Saudi Arabian GP to survive pressure from experienced racers like Kevin Magnussen could now help the Ferrari protégé secure a full-time F1 drive for next term. Mercedes are also considering promoting Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Mark Hughes of The Race claims Wolff sees Antonelli as Mercedes’ ‘Plan A’ option to replace Hamilton. The Silver Arrows are looking for a new star driver with the seven-time champion replacing Sainz at Ferrari next year. Wolff also thinks Antonelli is the ‘next Max Verstappen’.

How are Antonelli and Bearman faring in F2 for Prema in 2024?

Ferrari sought to keep Bearman in the Prema family for his second season in Formula 2 with the 18-year-old targeting the title. He finished sixth in the standings during the Chelmsford-born racer’s rookie campaign. The Briton also won four of the 26 races and had three poles.

F2 has adopted a new single-make car in the 2024 season which Prema struggled to get on top of at the Bahrain GP. Bearman started his term with a P16 finish in the Sprint and P15 in the Feature race. But he sealed pole for the Feature race in Jeddah, before replacing Sainz.

Bearman had to ditch his F2 duties to replace Sainz, leaving Antonelli as Prema’s sole driver at the Saudi Arabian GP round. The Italian would enjoy P6 finishes in the Sprint and Feature races in Jeddah from P5 on the grid. He qualified in P6, 0.228 seconds slower than Bearman.

Antonelli finished his debut race in F2 in 14th place during the Sprint race at the Bahrain GP. He also finished the Feature race in P10 for the Bologna native’s first point from P17 on the grid. Prema’s early struggles also saw Bearman qualify in P18, 0.017s slower than Antonelli.