Ollie Bearman reacts to ‘flattering’ Red Bull rumours

Ollie Bearman said it was “flattering” to hear his name rumoured to be linked to a Red Bull seat, as Formula 1’s driver ‘silly season’ begins to take place.

Red Bull would be in the market for another driver if Max Verstappen chose to leave the team, and the Ferrari junior’s name was mentioned in previous reports as a possible replacement.

Red Bull reports ‘quite flattering’ for Ollie Bearman, but ‘just rumours’

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Sky F1’s David Croft said in July that Red Bull is “keeping very close tabs” on the Briton, who has largely had the upper hand over Esteban Ocon at Haas so far in 2026.

He made a strong start to the 2026 season by finishing 7th in Australia, following that up with a top five in China. Still, he and Haas have struggled to maintain position in the standings as others around them bring extra updates.

While keeping full focus on the task at hand at Haas, he remains a Ferrari junior and Bearman reiterated that his preference would be to make the step up with the Scuderia in the future, but “even if it’s just rumours”, to hear his name linked with another frontrunning team is a compliment.

Presented with those reports, Bearman told PlanetF1.com and others: “First of all, it’s quite flattering to hear things like that, to [be linked] with a team like Red Bull who are incredibly successful, and to be connected with them in any way, even if it’s just rumours, is very nice.

“But, like I said, it’s just rumours, and I’m fully focused on what I’m doing here with Haas at the moment.”

More about the F1 2027 driver market

F1 2027 driver line-up: Which drivers are already confirmed for the 2027 grid?

F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?

Asked if he would prefer a move to Ferrari in the coming years, he added: “I hope so.

“I mean, I don’t have a full say in that, but Ferrari have trusted me from the very beginning in Formula 3 and put me in that car in 2024 [Saudi Arabia] as well, and really the reason that I’m here right now.

“At the moment, I’m enjoying what I’m doing with Haas, and the faster I can go now, the easier I make my life in the future.”

As for Red Bull, however, team principal Laurent Mekies voiced his preference to keep his line-up as it is in 2027, saying Verstappen and Isack Hadjar would be the team’s “ideal pairing” next year, despite ‘natural’ conversations about possible interest in his star driver.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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