Guenther Steiner has chosen Ollie Bearman as his 2025 rookie of the year, and when it comes to the British driver’s future in Formula 1, he clearly sees Ferrari as the most natural destination. The former Haas team principal did not hide the fact that the start of Bearman’s F1 season was complicated and far from straightforward.
“It was like flicking a switch,” Guenther Steiner stated with a very clear judgement, speaking during the Red Flags Podcast. On that occasion, Guenther Steiner pointed to Ollie Bearman as his rookie of the year for the 2025 Formula 1 season, underlining a level of growth that, in his view, already makes the young driver ready for a future in Formula 1 with Ferrari in Maranello.
“At the beginning he was very fast, but he made mistakes. In the first half of the year he was taking too many risks with the car he had, and he ended up off the track several times, also collecting a lot of penalty points,” Guenther Steiner explained. However, according to the former Haas boss, the turning point came in the second part of the championship.
“He kept fighting hard, but without making mistakes anymore. Even in the races he stopped making errors,” Guenther Steiner added, highlighting a clear change in approach and mentality from the young British driver as the season progressed.
Looking at the numbers, Oliver Bearman finished his debut Formula 1 season in 13th place in the drivers’ championship. He scored a total of 41 points, beating his more experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon, who ended the season with 38 points and 15th place in the standings. These statistics underline Oliver Bearman’s competitiveness over the course of the year.
The symbolic moment of his championship remains the fourth place he secured at the Mexican Grand Prix, a result that significantly strengthened his credibility within the Formula 1 paddock and confirmed his potential at the highest level of motorsport.
Clues about Oliver Bearman’s future at Ferrari
For this very reason, Oliver Bearman’s name has been strongly linked to Ferrari with a view to the 2027 season, a hypothesis that Guenther Steiner supports without hesitation. “We all know that he can overtake. For him, the Ferrari door should be open for 2027,” the former Haas team boss said, speaking openly about the Maranello team.
He then added a further consideration: “If Lewis does not achieve the success he needs to have, I do not think he would continue. And then there is the obvious candidate.” A statement that clearly places Ollie Bearman among the most credible options for Ferrari’s long-term future.
In the comparison among the 2025 rookies, Ollie Bearman competed against a strong and competitive group that included Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto. Kimi Antonelli led the rookie standings with 150 points at Mercedes, followed by Hadjar in 12th place overall, Oliver Bearman in 13th and Lawson in 14th.
For Guenther Steiner, however, numbers matter less than maturity and the ability to adapt to Formula 1. And Oliver Bearman, today, appears to have both of these qualities, confirming why he is increasingly seen as a serious option for a future role at Ferrari.
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