Why Red Bull is monitoring Bearman as Verstappen replacement
After another heartbreaking DNF at Silverstone, Verstappen's future at Red Bull looks shakier than ever, and a surprise name has emerged as a potential successor.
Oliver Bearman’s name is suddenly attached to the most valuable seat in Formula 1. The talk took hold over the British Grand Prix weekend, and what happened to Max Verstappen at Silverstone gave it plenty of fuel.
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What David Croft actually said at Silverstone
Sky Sports F1 lead commentator David Croft dropped a huge hint during the British Grand Prix weekend. He revealed that Red Bull is “keeping very close tabs” on Haas driver Oliver Bearman as a potential Max Verstappen replacement, if the Dutchman does leave the Milton Keynes-based team.
The key connection here is Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies. Croft added that Mekies knows the Haas driver well, having previously worked for Ferrari. As Croft put it: “Laurent Mekies, the team principal, 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.”
So Red Bull monitoring Bearman as a Verstappen replacement is not just idle speculation. There is a real personal and professional link that makes this story credible. You can read more about the wider Verstappen picture in our piece on why Verstappen to McLaren rumours won’t die.
Verstappen’s Silverstone nightmare fuels exit rumours
With his DNF at Silverstone being his third of the season, Verstappen extended his winless run to nine races, and there has been chatter that the Dutchman is weighing up his future.
The DNF itself was dramatic and dangerous. The RB22’s rear wing did not close properly while going into Stowe corner, which sent him into the gravel trap, just one week after he crashed in qualifying in Austria for the same reason. The DNF was Verstappen’s third non-score of the championship, leaving him down in seventh place in the drivers’ standings on 76 points. He is now 103 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull has also plummeted to fourth in the constructors’ standings, a staggering 205 points behind the dominant Mercedes squad.
Verstappen himself did not hide his frustration. “At the moment, I’m honestly just looking forward to going home and not thinking about Formula 1,” he admitted. Our piece on Isack Hadjar stepping up as Verstappen’s Red Bull future faces pressure covers how the team is coping with this pressure from within.
Is McLaren really coming for Verstappen in 2026?
Max Verstappen’s long-term future with Red Bull has been called into question in recent months, with the Dutchman’s team not having provided him with a car capable of challenging for race wins following the regulations overhaul. His rumoured destination for 2027 is McLaren, although nothing has been announced or confirmed just yet, with Verstappen strictly speaking contracted at Red Bull until 2028.
With Verstappen now able to trigger the exit clause in his Red Bull contract, the six-time F1 constructors’ champions will be working on back-up plans, with Bearman understood to be an option the team would be open to exploring.
This leaves Red Bull without its leading on-track talisman, and it is thought that if Verstappen were to join the Woking-based team, Oscar Piastri would be the driver to make way, and would likely complete a swap deal, going in the opposite direction to join Isack Hadjar. However, Piastri’s management has pushed back strongly on those claims. Check out our full breakdown: Is Piastri really leaving McLaren in 2026?
What such a move would mean for the rest of the grid
If Red Bull monitoring Bearman as a Verstappen replacement turns into a real signing, it would send shockwaves across the entire driver market. If Red Bull decided on Bearman, it would need to show Ferrari the colour of its money if it were to have any chance of prising its superstar youngster from Maranello. Bearman is still technically a Ferrari junior, which adds a fascinating legal and financial layer to any potential deal.
2009 world champion Jenson Button agreed with Croft that Bearman should not just put all his eggs in the Ferrari basket. “For his management, yes, I think they need to be talking to other teams and other possibilities,” Button said.
Bearman’s Ferrari future is blocked, so what comes next?
For Oliver Bearman, one of Ferrari’s brightest young talents and currently racing for Haas, the route to a seat with the Scuderia has become significantly more difficult. Charles Leclerc has already committed his future to Ferrari with a long-term contract, while Lewis Hamilton appears determined to continue competing at the highest level for several more seasons.
Bearman himself has said, “I’m very much enjoying what I’m doing with Haas. I wouldn’t see staying with Haas in 2027 as a bad thing. I think it’s a great opportunity. The team is on a fantastic trajectory, and I’m very much enjoying the journey that we’re all together.”
That is a mature answer. But with Red Bull monitoring Bearman as a Verstappen replacement now firmly part of the public conversation, his management will surely be thinking hard about every option available. As Formula1.com reports, ultimately, Verstappen wants to fight for race victories. He is driving at a high level and wants to capitalise on that, because not only does he not know how long he’ll be able to do that for, he also knows he doesn’t want to stay in F1 as long as some others have.
The 2026 silly season is just getting started, and Red Bull monitoring Bearman as a Verstappen replacement could be one of the biggest subplots of the whole year. Stay across every twist and turn right here on rnt-motorsports.com, and follow the very latest on our Verstappen Red Bull exit tracker.
