Oliver Bearman outscored Max Verstappen in the opening three races of 2026. Let that sink in. Now read this: he finished 19th in Hungary, two laps down, collecting a time penalty for blue-flag confusion. That is not a trajectory anyone at Ferrari Academy envisioned.
From Beating Red Bull to Racing at the Back
Bearman was understandably bullish about the early season, and fair enough. Seventh in Australia, fifth in China, mixing it with Red Bull while the Haas looked genuinely competitive. The new regulations suited the VF-26, reliability held, and the team executed well.
Then Canada arrived with an upgrade package that simply did not deliver.
“We introduced our last upgrade package there, which didn’t quite give the car the boost that the competition was able to achieve.” – Oliver Bearman
Since Montreal, Bearman has scored a single championship point. Audi, Alpine, and Racing Bulls have all moved forward. Haas has not. The gap that once looked bridgeable now looks rather permanent.
Hungary: An Absolute Nightmare
The Hungaroring crystallised everything wrong with Bearman’s season in one brutal afternoon. He failed to escape Q1, started 17th, and then got caught up in a blue-flag system malfunction that punished him for something he could barely control.
“Out there it was a complete nightmare. You’re basically driving through the infield, you have no time to look in your mirrors, and virtually every lap I drove I was shown blue flags.” – Oliver Bearman
A five-second penalty followed. Nineteenth place at the flag. Two laps down on winner Lando Norris. Norris had his own problems this season, but at least he was winning races. Bearman was lapped twice.
The Ferrari Question Nobody Wants to Answer
Here is the uncomfortable subplot. Bearman has always been viewed as a future Ferrari driver. That pipeline seemed realistic eighteen months ago. It feels considerably less so now.
Lewis Hamilton has rediscovered his brilliance at Ferrari, sitting second in the championship. Charles Leclerc remains firmly in seat. There is simply no space, and Bearman is candid enough to acknowledge it.
“In terms of my future, it’s not ideal. But I’m still young, I’m only 21, I’m not in a rush.” – Oliver Bearman
Admirable composure. But Hamilton’s second-half warning to rivals only makes the Ferrari door harder to prise open. The irony is that Bearman genuinely admires Hamilton, calling Barcelona, where three Britons stood on the podium, a special moment. He just knows it was not particularly special for his own career prospects.
Hands Tied, Car Unpredictable
The most revealing thing Bearman said was not about Ferrari at all. It was about the VF-26’s sheer unpredictability, a car that can change balance overnight without warning, leaving engineers chasing a moving target.
“Sometimes it feels like we’re having to compete with our hands almost tied behind our backs.” – Oliver Bearman
He leads teammate Esteban Ocon by 15 points, which proves he is extracting maximum from the package. The problem is that maximum currently means 13th or 14th. When your best is P14, the frustration is entirely justified.
Bearman insists hope remains. Upgrades are coming, the second half could yet improve. Perhaps. But right now, a 21-year-old with genuine talent is being slowly ground down by an underdeveloped car and a dream that keeps moving just out of reach.
