Ferrari prodigy Oliver Bearman reportedly the favourite to replace Nico Hulkenberg at Haas

Oliver Bearman has been a big presence in the F1 driver market since his exploits at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.

Ferrari prodigy Oliver Bearman reportedly the favourite to replace Nico Hulkenberg at Haas

Nico Hulkenberg (L), Oliver Bearman (R) (images via IMAGO).

Now that Nico Hulkenberg‘s deal with Sauber (turning into Audi from 2026) is announced, there’s a lot of wonder about who gets the 2025 Haas seat. This sudden decision to leave the American team will definitely have a major ripple effect on the driver market.

Following this, according to F1 pundit Lawrence Baretto, Ferrari academy driver, Oliver Bearman is in pole position to obtain the seat. The young Briton hugely impressed people with his cameo in F1 during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this season, when Carlos Sainz was out due to appendicitis.

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The Prema driver is currently 19th in the F2 championship but was in pole position before being asked to replace Carlos Sainz in Jeddah. He has massively impressed in the junior categories and is one of the hottest upcoming prospects in F1.

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Oliver Bearman is according to sources the favourite to replace Nico Hulkenberg at Haas.

via @FastestPitStop on X

Baretto is an F1 insider and seems to be pretty sure that the 18-year-old Prema driver will obtain the Haas drive for 2025, because of their ties to Scuderia Ferrari. Bearman was brilliant during the Saudi Arabian GP and fans can’t wait to see how he performs if he does get the Haas drive.

Andreas Seidl reveals signing Nico Hulkenberg is a ‘milestone’ for Audi

Nico Hulkenberg has been one of the unluckiest F1 drivers. But, there’s no doubt about his quality as the German has always outperformed the machinery he’s given. He continues to do that even today in Haas’ lackluster VF-24.

Andreas Seidl
Andreas Seidl ( Image via IMAGO)

Signing the German seems to be something Audi is very proud of. Hulkenberg has over 200 starts in F1 and continues to perform well in a variety of cars. Following this, Audi’s F1 CEO, Andreas Seidl revealed how signing the 36-year-old is a ‘milestone’ for Audi.

The signing of Nico is the next milestone for Audi’s Formula 1 project. With his speed, his experience and his dedicated teamwork, he will make an important contribution to Audi’s entry in 2026 as early as next year

Andreas Seidl after Nico Hulkenberg’s deal was announced

The 48-year-old also added how he and Hulkenberg have seen eye to eye about Audi’s project in F1 and how he’s sure the driver will help the team develop and improve the car in the coming years. Hulkenberg’s deal seems to be just the tip of the iceberg in comparison to Audi’s plans to take over F1. They will officially enter the sport under their branding from 2026 onwards.

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