Brundle: Bearman should get next available Ferrari seat

Oliver Bearman should get the next available seat at Ferrari, according to Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle.

The 20-year-old Brit secured the best result to date of his impressive full rookie campaign in Formula 1 by finishing fourth for Haas at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday.

Bearman was signed to the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2021 and made his grand prix debut when standing in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia last year, before being loaned out to Haas on a multi-year deal at the start of 2025.

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Ferrari have Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc contracted until at least the end of 2026, but it's possible the grid could be shaken up after the first season of the new regulations that are being introduced next year.

Reacting to Bearman's performance in Mexico on the latest episode of Sky Sports' The F1 Show, Brundle said: "Absolutely outstanding. If you give that young man an opportunity, he'll grab it, like he did in Saudi with the Ferrari drive.

"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."

Listen to the full episode below as Brundle, Jacques Villeneuve and Simon Lazenby discuss all the major moments from Mexico after a race, won in dominant style by Lando Norris, which has also provided a new leader in the tense title race with four rounds of the season remaining.

Villeneuve: Bearman better in the big league

While Bearman's headline-grabbing result in Mexico catapulted him up to 13th in the drivers' standings, there has been clear evidence of his talent throughout the season.

Bearman holds 11-9 advantages over his Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon in both their qualifying and race head-to-heads for the season.

Given the Frenchman is driving his 10th season in F1 and has been closely matched with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly in recent years at Alpine, Bearman's form is highly impressive.

Sky Sports F1 pundit and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has been particularly impressed by Bearman's progression.

"He had a great beginning then a little bit of a dip and he was rebuilding himself," Villeneuve told The F1 Show. "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."

One of the highlights of Bearman's display in Mexico was when he took advantage of a squabble between Hamilton and Verstappen to pass the Dutchman, keeping his cool in a wheel-to-wheel contest with the reigning world champion.

Villeneuve added: "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."

Formula 1's thrilling title race continues in Brazil with a Sprint weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 7-9, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime