F1 News: Haas Chief Sparks Rumours Of Rookie Signing In 2025
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has expressed high regard for Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman, sparking rumours of his addition to the American team in 2025.
Key Takeaways:
- Haas F1's Ongoing Challenges: Despite a challenging 2023 season, where the team finished last, the performances of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are not seen as contributing factors.
- Prospects for Driver Changes: With Sauber's reported attempt to sign Hulkenberg and his link to Audi, expected to enter in 2026, Haas appears to be contemplating fresh talent. Steiner's recent statements regarding Oliver Bearman have fuelled such speculation.
- Steiner's Future Plans: As Steiner shared with Sky Sports' Craig Slater, he envisions a significant opportunity for young drivers in 2025, possibly replacing underperforming current drivers with fresh faces.
Haas signed contract extensions for both drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, in 2023 which leaves the new contracts expiring at the end of 2024. With reports of the latter having discussions with Alfa Romeo (now Stake) and Audi which will be joining with Sauber in 2026, there has been a lot of discussion around the American team's driver line-up for 2025.
Steiner's recent comments about Oliver Bearman have generated considerable attention. Praising Bearman following his stint in an FP1 session in 2023, Steiner stated to Motorsport-Magazin:
"He did a good job and stayed very calm.
“He behaved very maturely for an 18-year-old and also delivered a good performance in the car. He’s confident, but not overly confident; that’s a fine line.”
Further fuelling these rumours, Steiner discussed with Sky Sports' Craig Slater the future of F1 driver recruitment. He explained:
“I think there’s a lot of potential at the end of 2024, focusing on ’25, I think there’s a big opportunity for young drivers to come in.
“Because some of them, the drivers who are there now or will be at the end of ’24, maybe stop doing it.
“Some of them will have not performed, nobody will pick them up. Some, I see a better opportunity in taking a risk with a young driver than keeping somebody who didn’t perform.
“We now see these things and say ‘OK, it worked with Piastri – why would it not work with somebody else? You have some history there now.’
“So it could be that, in ’25 with no changes for ’24, all of a sudden we have got three, four, or five new guys… I think that could happen.”
Haas Press Image