If there was any doubt that Red Bull are genuinely preparing for life without Max Verstappen, consider this: the team is reportedly tracking Oliver Bearman as a long-term successor. Not a stopgap. A successor. That tells you everything about how seriously the Milton Keynes outfit is taking the possibility of losing their four-time world champion.
Croft’s Bombshell
Sky F1 commentator David Croft planted the seed with characteristic bluntness. Noting that Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was the very man who signed Bearman into the Ferrari Driver Academy, Croft connected the dots neatly.
“Laurent Mekies was the man that signed Ollie Bearman to the Ferrari Academy. I know Red Bull are keeping very close tabs on Ollie Bearman. If he hasn’t got a way into the Scuderia, that might be a very good option for Red Bull and for Ollie.” – David Croft
This is not random speculation. There is a genuine human connection there, and in Formula 1, personal relationships move markets.
Bearman’s Ferrari Door Has Slammed Shut
The uncomfortable reality for Bearman is that his path to Ferrari looks increasingly blocked. Charles Leclerc has re-signed on a long-term deal, and Lewis Hamilton, far from fading gracefully, is leading a title challenge that has silenced every retirement rumour. Martin Brundle put it plainly.
“His route to the works Ferrari team has been cut off. At the same time, Haas, they’re the smallest team, and they’ve been struggling to develop that car. He might have to find a Plan B.” – Martin Brundle
It is a brutal position for a 21-year-old who has done nothing wrong. Bearman has impressed in a car that has fallen badly off the development pace. Haas have gone three consecutive races without a point. That is not a platform from which to audition for the biggest seat in Formula 1.
Bearman Is Remarkably Calm About All of It
To his credit, Bearman himself is not sweating publicly. His take? Refreshingly grounded.
“There’s no dates that I need to be doing X, I don’t really care about that. I drive the car. There’s people taking care of that for me.” – Oliver Bearman
Jenson Button is more cautious, warning that Bearman’s management must be actively talking to other teams before the end-of-season contract shuffle reshapes the 2027 grid. Standing still while others negotiate is not a strategy.
The Bigger Picture
Oscar Piastri remains the headline name in the Verstappen replacement conversation, but those McLaren exit rumours have been firmly dismissed. Bearman as an alternative makes a different kind of sense: young, hungry, and already well-known to the man now running Red Bull. Whether Verstappen actually leaves remains the central question, with the paddock increasingly bracing for a departure announcement.
Until Verstappen speaks, everyone else is just filling the silence with names.
