Ollie Bearman has insisted his focus remains entirely on Haas despite speculation linking him with a move to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
The 20-year-old addressed the ongoing rumours during an appearance on the High Performance Podcast.
When asked how much attention he pays to reports regarding a potential return to the Scuderia, Bearman was unequivocal.
“Zero. Nothing,” the English driver told host Jake Humphrey.
Bearman acknowledged that speculation has followed him since his cameo for the Italian team two years ago.
“Because I think I’ve been lucky in a way to have gotten that call two years ago and to do the race. And ever since then there have been those rumours and those things coming out, so it’s kind of just normal.”
He emphasised that he avoids seeking out media reports to maintain his concentration.
“First of all I don’t even see them because you have to go on Autosport or whatever to find them,” he added.
“My focus is not on those, it’s on the current project and hopefully we can do good things in 2026.”
Rapid rise at Haas
Bearman is coming off an impressive campaign with Haas, having finished 13th in the drivers’ standings last season.
The Chelmsford-born racer notably finished ahead of his experienced team-mate, Esteban Ocon.
His standout performance came at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where a fourth-place finish equalled the American team’s best-ever result.
Bearman originally made headlines in 2024 when he debuted for Ferrari in Jeddah as an 18-year-old, becoming the youngest points scorer in the team’s history while deputising for an unwell Carlos Sainz.
Hamilton’s difficult start
Speculation regarding the Ferrari seat has intensified following a challenging debut season for the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton, who turned 41 in January, finished sixth in the championship and failed to record a single podium finish.
It marked the first time in the veteran’s illustrious career that he has gone a full season without a top-three result.
The former Mercedes driver also trailed team-mate Charles Leclerc by more than 80 points in the final standings.
Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz suggested in November that it was “clear as day” Bearman would eventually take the seat.
That sentiment was echoed by former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who labelled the youngster as the “obvious candidate” for the Maranello outfit.
Formula 1 chiefs are monitoring the situation in the Middle East following an explosion near a US base in Bahrain, raising concerns over upcoming races in the region.
The 2026 season begins in Australia this weekend, but attention is already turning to the scheduled double-header in the Gulf next month.
Drivers are due to travel to Sakhir for the Bahrain Grand Prix on 12 April, followed by the round in Saudi Arabia one week later.
There are currently no official plans to remove these events from the calendar.
However, the sport’s governing body maintains a history of altering schedules when faced with significant regional conflict or civil unrest.
Historical cancellations in Bahrain
The Bahrain International Circuit has previously been the centre of calendar controversy due to political instability.
Organisers were forced to postpone and eventually cancel the 2011 edition of the race amid widespread anti-government demonstrations.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, was a vocal critic of the initial attempts to proceed with the event during the unrest.
“If Formula One agrees to race in Bahrain, it will forever have the blight of association with repressive methods to achieve order,” Hill said at the time.
“The right thing to do, in my view, is to not race in Bahrain until these doubts have been removed.”
Despite further appeals from human rights campaigners to remove the fixture the following year, the Grand Prix returned to the schedule in 2012.
Security protocols in Jeddah
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a more recent addition to the sport, has also faced security threats since its debut in 2021.
During the 2022 race weekend, Yemen’s Houthi rebel group targeted an oil facility located just over 10 miles from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Max Verstappen, the current world champion, reported smelling smoke to his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase during a Friday practice session.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association held lengthy meetings regarding the incident but ultimately received assurances that allowed the race to continue.
Formula 1 officials will continue to assess the safety of all personnel as the championship prepares for its Middle Eastern leg in April.
Formula One has confirmed the season-opening Australian Grand Prix will proceed as planned following a scramble to reroute personnel affected by airspace closures in the Middle East.
Organisers are confident the curtain-raiser at Albert Park will run without issue despite significant logistical disruptions.
However, serious doubts have emerged regarding next month’s back-to-back races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the escalating security situation.
Emergency travel arrangements
The sport’s governing body has worked urgently over the past 48 hours to ensure drivers and essential staff could reach Melbourne safely.
Large sections of Middle Eastern airspace have been closed following military activity involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Approximately 1,000 members of the paddock have been forced to alter their travel plans, having originally intended to transit through major hubs in the region.
Alternative routes include a British Airways flight via Singapore and a dedicated business-class service routing through Tanzania.
Personnel from 10 of the grid’s 11 teams are currently en route to Australia along with key officials.
Australian Formula 1 chief Travis Auld said: “The drivers will be here, the engineers will be here, the team principals will be here. They’re the ones that have been prioritised, so you won’t see any surprise drivers under a helmet.”
Crucially, freight containing the cars and technical equipment arrived in Victoria following pre-season testing before the airspace restrictions came into force.
Middle East rounds under threat
While the action in Melbourne remains secure, attention has quickly turned to the viability of rounds two and three of the championship.
Contingency plans are currently being drawn up for the events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia should the conflict necessitate a postponement.
US President Donald Trump has indicated the conflict could last longer than initial projections of four to five weeks.
Safety concerns are paramount for F1, particularly given that Bahrain is among the nations that have intercepted drone strikes recently.
A spokesperson for the sport said: “The safety and security of everyone in F1 will always be our priority. We monitor any situation like this and work with relevant authorities.”
Previous calendar disruptions
Formula One is no stranger to altering its schedule due to geopolitical instability or safety risks.
The 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled entirely due to civil unrest in the country, reducing that year’s calendar to 19 races.
More recently, the sport was forced to completely rebuild its schedule during the Covid-19 pandemic, relying heavily on European venues to fill gaps left by cancelled fly-away events.
It remains to be seen whether the upcoming Middle East fixtures will be rescheduled for later in the year or replaced by standby hosts.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has expressed his trust in Formula 1 to make the “right decision” regarding the upcoming Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix amid escalating conflict in the region.
The status of the double-header in the Gulf is currently under review following recent geopolitical escalations.
Military strikes involving Iran, the US, and Israel have cast doubt on the viability of the events scheduled for April.
While the season-opening Australian Grand Prix remains unaffected, championship chiefs are closely monitoring the security situation for rounds four and five.
‘So much at stake’
Gasly, preparing for the season opener in Melbourne, insists safety must be the priority.
The Frenchman revealed the situation is personal, citing close connections in the affected region.
“I trust the people in charge. There is so much at stake,” Gasly said.
“I have some family living in the Middle East, and people close to me. It is difficult to get my head around everything that is going on when you know what is happening at the moment.”
“Hopefully things will get better, but, ultimately, F1 will make the right decision and what is best for all of us.”
Calendar disruption looms
The logistical challenge has already impacted other motorsport series.
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) confirmed on Tuesday that its season-opener in Qatar has been postponed.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated the governing body continues to “monitor developments” across the region.
Should the F1 races be cancelled, finding space in the 2026 calendar poses significant difficulties for the sport’s organisers.
Any rescheduling could result in a gruelling triple-header of race weekends later in the year.
If the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds cannot proceed, European circuits such as Portimao in Portugal and Imola in Italy are considered potential replacement venues.
Formula 1 teams have arrived in Australia for the start of the new season facing the sport’s most significant technical overhaul regarding engines, chassis and fuel.
While the single-seaters appearing at Albert Park may superficially resemble their predecessors, the machines have been completely reimagined over the winter.
Every major component including the power unit, aerodynamics, tyres and fuel composition has been subjected to fresh regulations.
A revolution under the bonnet
The 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids remain, but the division between internal combustion and electrical output has shifted dramatically to a near 50-50 split.
Electrical output has tripled to approximately 350kw (470bhp), drastically altering how power is delivered compared to the previous 80-20 ratio.
The complex MGU-H component has been removed to reduce costs, a move instrumental in attracting manufacturers like Audi, General Motors and Ford to the grid.
However, this simplification leaves the vehicles “energy starved”, requiring drivers to manage battery levels constantly as full power becomes impossible to sustain.
Aerodynamic shift and driver comfort
The sport has abandoned the “ground effect” philosophy utilised between 2022 and 2025 which relied on curved venturi tunnels to generate downforce.
Teams must now adopt a “step-plane” design featuring a flat underside, with the central chassis sitting lower than the surrounding floor area.
This regulatory pivot effectively eliminates the stiff suspension setups that previously caused significant back issues for the grid’s competitors.
To further aid racing, the new challengers have been constructed to be narrower, smaller in dimensions and approximately 30kg lighter than the 2025 generation.
Sustainable fuel introduction
The championship has also mandated the switch to fully sustainable carbon-neutral fuels derived from waste biomass or synthetic industrial processes.
Smaller tyres complete the package of changes designed to create a more competitive and environmentally conscious series.
George Russell says he is ignoring the hype to focus on delivering his best as Mercedes enter the new Formula 1 season as pre-season favourites.
The 28-year-old exudes a quiet sense of confidence as he prepares for what could be the defining campaign of his career.
While pundits have labelled the Silver Arrows as the team to beat, the British driver refuses to be distracted by the weight of expectation.
Russell insists such labels change nothing regarding the immediate task at hand ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Mastering the new era
Despite the optimism surrounding the Brackley-based outfit, the driver remains wary of specific technical hurdles observed during testing.
He highlighted concerns over launch performance compared to Ferrari and reliability issues that plagued the team in Bahrain.
“It does not change my approach one single bit,” Russell said.
“I’m working so hard with the team, everybody here has been working flat out to really maximise this new set of regulations and I’m honestly just so excited by the challenge.”
The major overhaul in regulations features engines with an equal split between internal combustion and electrical power, alongside complex active aerodynamics.
“Because it is a huge challenge adapting to these new cars, how the energy management works, the re-harvesting of the batteries, getting your head around the boost system, the overtake modes, the active aero.”
“There’s a lot of things we need to learn very quickly, but I feel I can take advantage from that and I feel confident with myself and my team.”
From potential to contender
Now entering his eighth season in the sport, the King’s Lynn-born racer has long established himself as one of the grid’s elite talents.
His three-year apprenticeship at Williams masked his true pace, though a stunning front-row qualification at a wet Spa in 2021 offered a glimpse of his ability.
A move to Mercedes in 2022 was meant to yield immediate silverware, but coincided with the team losing their dominant grasp on the sport’s technical rules.
After four seasons of fluctuating competitiveness, Russell finally appears to have the machinery required to launch a sustained assault on the world championship.
Formula 1’s new engine regulations for the 2026 season have sparked fears of chaotic race starts at the Australian Grand Prix due to significant technical challenges with turbo lag.
The sport enters a new era at Albert Park this Sunday, but changes to the power units have made launching from the grid significantly more difficult.
An unintended consequence of the technical overhaul has created the potential for significant position changes and stalled cars before the first corner.
The ‘turbo lag’ issue explained
The primary complication stems from the removal of the Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H).
This complex component previously eliminated delays in acceleration by using electricity to spin the turbocharger instantaneously.
Under the 2026 regulations, designed to entice new manufacturers like Audi, the MGU-H has been banned.
This leaves the 1.6-litre internal combustion engines relying solely on exhaust gas pressure to spin relatively large turbos.
The result is a phenomenon known as turbo lag, where there is a distinct delay between the driver hitting the throttle and the engine delivering power.
Electrical power limitations
Compounding the problem is a specific restriction on the remaining hybrid element, the Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K).
Although the MGU-K is more powerful in the 2026 specification, regulations prevent it from deploying energy to the rear wheels until the car reaches 50km/h.
This rule leaves drivers unable to use electrical torque to mask the lack of engine responsiveness during the initial launch phase.
Safety concerns and procedure tweaks
The issue became apparent during pre-season testing, where early practice starts were described as poor.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella subsequently raised safety concerns regarding the speed difference between cars making a clean getaway and those struggling with lag.
Stella warned of the high possibility of collisions if stationary or slow-moving cars are struck from behind.
In response, Formula 1 officials have tweaked the start procedure to allow drivers more time to prepare their systems on the grid.
However, Max Verstappen has played down the severity of the safety fears.
The Red Bull driver suggested that competitors worried about the dangers of the grid launch are free to start from the pit lane.
Lewis Hamilton vows ‘no holding back’ as Ferrari driver starts 20th F1 season
Lewis Hamilton has declared he remains "still hungry" and "focused on the dream" as he prepares to begin his 20th Formula 1 season at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion enters his second campaign with Ferrari looking to bounce back from a challenging debut year with the Scuderia.
Hamilton failed to record a single podium finish during the previous season, marking a statistical low point in his illustrious career.
However, the Italian team have arrived in Melbourne heavily tipped to challenge Mercedes at the front of the grid following impressive pre-season testing.
‘Belief that doesn’t break’
Writing on social media ahead of the season opener, the 41-year-old reflected on his two decades at the pinnacle of motorsport.
"Twenty seasons as an F1 driver. It’s hard to even grasp the reality of that number."
The Briton emphasised the resilience required to maintain longevity in the sport, alluding to the criticism he has faced recently.
"A dream has to be matched with action and, above all, belief. Belief that doesn’t break no matter what’s thrown in your face or what you come up against."
Hamilton admitted that his journey has contained "more mistakes than I can count" but insisted those errors have made the experience sweeter.
"I’m still here, 20 years on, still standing, still hungry, still focused on the dream. No holding back."
New era offers fresh hope
The 2026 season marks the introduction of significant new technical regulations, which often shakes up the competitive order.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson believes the handling characteristics of the new generation of cars could favour the veteran driver.
"Lewis has found things tough the last couple of years. Let’s see if he can bounce back with this new iteration of cars."
"I believe they’re going to suit his style more."
Hamilton feels "re-set and refreshed" as he bids to banish the disappointments of last year and return to the front of the field.