Bearman emerges as Red Bull option for 2027

Oliver Bearman has emerged as a serious 2027 driver-market option for Red Bull, with Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft saying at Silverstone that the team is "keeping very close tabs" on the Haas driver as Ferrari’s packed line-up narrows his obvious route forward.

Croft said Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies already knows Bearman well from his Ferrari days. "Laurent Mekies was the man that signed Ollie Bearman to the Ferrari Academy," Croft said. "If he hasn’t got a way into the Scuderia, that might be a very good option for Red Bull and for Ollie."

That possibility matters because Bearman’s traditional path has become harder to see. Charles Leclerc’s long-term Ferrari continuity and Lewis Hamilton’s revived form leave little immediate space at the works team, and Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said Bearman will be seeing that reality clearly. Brundle said Hamilton "looks like he’s going to hang around for quite a few years now" and concluded that Bearman’s "route to the works Ferrari team has been cut off."

The Red Bull angle is also tied to the uncertainty around Max Verstappen. Speculation over Verstappen’s future intensified after the British Grand Prix, with reports of growing tension inside Red Bull and talk of McLaren interest. A straight swap involving Oscar Piastri has been floated in that wider discussion, but Piastri’s manager Mark Webber strongly rejected that scenario, dismissing it as "invenzioni."

Bearman has publicly kept his distance from the noise around Ferrari and any timetable attached to his future. Speaking to the Press Association, he said: "There’s no dates that I need to be doing X, I don’t really care about that." He added: "I think the end of this year is important because a lot of people are having their contracts ending, so I think everyone wanted to see how the pecking order was in 2026 and that will then determine what 2027 looks like. For me it’s not my job. I drive the car. There’s people taking care of that for me."

Brundle said Bearman is already doing his part on track, adding that he is "driving beautifully," but also warning that the Haas driver may need alternatives beyond waiting for Ferrari. "He might have to find a Plan B," Brundle said.

That view was echoed by 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who said Bearman should "stay focused" on proving himself while those around him work the market. Button said Bearman is still "so young in this sport" but added that his management should be talking to "other teams and other possibilities."

Even with Red Bull now firmly in the conversation, Bearman is not suddenly free to move wherever he wants. One summary of the situation states that his multi-year Haas deal runs beyond 2026, meaning he is expected to remain with the team next season with almost total security. That leaves Red Bull’s interest less as an immediate move and more as proof that Bearman is no longer just Ferrari’s waiting candidate, but a driver whose 2027 future could shape part of the next major market shuffle.