Oliver Bearman “should be in” next available Ferrari F1 seat

Martin Brundle believes Oliver Bearman should get the next available seat at Ferrari.

Bearman produced an outstanding drive to secure fourth place at the Mexico City Grand Prix and score his best result of his rookie F1 season, as well as equalling Haas’ highest-ever finish.

The 20-year-old Briton is part of Ferrari’s junior driver programme and has already made his debut for the Scuderia, having replaced Carlos Sainz at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Despite being parachuted in at the last minute in Jeddah after Sainz withdrew with appendicitis following second practice, Bearman stole the show by qualifying 11th and finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton in seventh.

Brundle reckons Bearman, who is tipped to be Hamilton’s long-term successor at Ferrari, has already demonstrated he has the quality to compete at the front of the grid on a full-time basis.

Hamilton and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc are contracted until the end of 2026, while Bearman is on an effective loan to Haas on a multi-year deal.

“Absolutely outstanding. If you give that young man an opportunity, he'll grab it, like he did in Saudi with the Ferrari drive,” Brundle told Sky Sports’ The F1 Show.

"He kept his head under a lot of pressure, especially in the closing stages with Oscar Piastri's McLaren behind him. He put a move on Max [Verstappen], made it stick, didn't go four wheels off the road, just.

"The moment that there's a seat at Ferrari for whatever reason, then Bearman should be in it as far as I'm concerned. I think he's outstanding and he's learning fast, and he's making the most of his opportunity.”

Is Bearman ready for the 'big league'? 

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Bearman is a driver who will thrive under pressure in the “big league”.

"He had a great beginning then a little bit of a dip and he was rebuilding himself," Villeneuve said. "It's always nice to see when a driver goes back and comes back stronger - analyses it, studies, works with the team and figures it out. That's what he has been doing.

"You see progression and then you always wonder 'ok, when will the progression stop?' It's very promising. He was impressive this weekend because he was the complete deal. He was fast, pressure didn't affect him.

"He's a very aggressive driver but always under control, he has a tremendous race craft, good 3D space awareness. And not many drivers in F1 now have that.

"You see it with even some of the top guys - sometimes you see some moves and think what was he thinking? Where did he think his car would end up? Or how didn't he realise there would be other cars on the track next to him?

"And he seems to have that [awareness], which is great and it's very promising for the future.

"He's the kind of driver who seems to be better with the pressure, better in the big teams, better in the big league. He's better now than when he was in the smaller categories and that's super important."