Guenther Steiner's verdict on Oliver Bearman after leaving Haas F1 speaks volumes
Guenther Steiner was axed as Haas F1 team principal last December but still knows new driver Oliver Bearman very well and has given Mirror Sport the lowdown on the Brit
by Daniel Moxon · The MirrorOliver Bearman's former boss thinks British Formula 1 fans could have another special talent to cheer on.
Guenther Steiner knows all about the teenager having been in charge of Haas when the Brit took part in several practice sessions and tests. Ferrari junior Bearman will race full-time for the American squad next year and Steiner thinks it's a great signing by his former team.
He told Mirror Sport: "I think he's a good driver and I think he has got what I would call a good surrounding as well. His father, he's got a professional trainer or manager, they look after him in a good way. They waited until the right opportunity was there. I think he's pretty quick. He showed that he's pretty quick and he can fight. I think he can make it."
Bearman will fly the British flag in 2025 along with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, his current Mercedes team-mate George Russell and McLaren's Lando Norris. Alex Albon races under the Thai flag but has a British father and was born in London, meaning a quarter of the F1 grid will be from the UK.
Bearman earned his shot on the back of an impressive debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian GP in March. Called up to fill in for the unwell Carlos Sainz, then just 18, he finished seventh and ahead of both Norris and Hamilton.
He had already won his full-time Haas seat when he was brought in by the team to race in lieu of Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan last month, while the Dane served a ban. But Bearman scored another point to become the first to ever achieve that with different teams in his first two F1 outings.
Steiner thinks it will become clear soon enough whether the teenager can follow in Hamilton's footsteps in the future. He said: "Is he world champion material? You find that one out after two years in an F1 car."
Steiner was sacked last December after years of disagreement over the level of investment needed to improve the team's fortunes. The 59-year-old had been in charge for a decade, having taken the idea for an American F1 squad to owner Gene Haas in the first place, who agreed to bankroll the project.
In his new book 'Unfiltered', released on Thursday, Steiner describes how he was let go in a six-minute phone call. The split has been acrimonious and there are several ongoing lawsuits involving the two parties. But he insists he doesn't regret how things ended and simply wishes he had resigned years ago.
Steiner said: "I should have left earlier. I was fighting an uphill struggle where I had no chance to win. There was no respect shown towards me, to be honest. I even have to fight for my money. But am I upset? No. Why would I lose any sleep over it? I don't care about Gene Haas - I've got a lot of friends, I've got a good family. I don't speak with Gene Haas, and I don't really care."
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