Guenther Steiner would backtrack on F1 rookie stance to sign Oliver Bearman
Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner would sign Oliver Bearman, backtracking on his previous stance against rookies.
Ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner says he would backtrack on his stance against rookies in F1 by signing Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman.
Bearman impressed on his F1 debut as a last minute replacement for Carlos Sainz at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old British driver narrowly missed out on Q3 before finishing seventh on race day, beating Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Steiner famously adopted a ‘no rookie’ stance after a difficult spell when Haas - under his stewardship - fielded two rookies in Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
In Steiner’s final season in charge of Haas, the team opted to sign veteran Nico Hulkenberg in place of Schumacher.
Writing in his column on F1’s official website, Steiner says he would hand Bearman a race seat following his Jeddah herorics.
"Based on his performance in Jeddah, after what I saw from him at Haas, I’d put him in a race seat,” he wrote.
"Obviously, it depends on the circumstances and what seats are available. You need to see the whole landscape, but he would be a candidate.
"It's not 100% that he will succeed. It’s still a risk. But the way he handled himself in qualifying and the race in Jeddah, having just had one hour of practice, suggests the risk is so much smaller."
Steiner believes Bearman’s display will eradicate “a lot of the doubts” over his level of performance.
"For prospective employers, that drive will have taken a lot of doubts away of what he is able to do,” he added.
"He’s in a good place as at the end of this year, there are a lot of contracts up with drivers, so he can put himself in good a position. He can’t go anywhere he wants, but I believe there is more than one opportunity for him.
"He has a contract with Ferrari, I don’t know how long it is. If you were interested in him, you’d go and speak with Ferrari and see what they want to do and see if something can be achieved. You of course need to see what is happening in your team with the drivers. Do you want him or are you happy with what you’ve got?
"I think a lot of teams will proactively look at him now after his performance last weekend. If I see the potential, other people will see it as well, so I think there is a good possibility for him to get a seat next year."
