Ferrari protégé defended over F1 ‘disturbance’

Bruno Michel has dispelled the notion Oliver Bearman did not do enough in F2 last season to earn his F1 seat with Haas.

The F2 and F3 CEO highlighted how the "disturbance of knowing he might go to F1" likely played a part in the British driver finishing P12 in the standings.

In doing so, he argued that fully focusing on F2 was not necessarily after the Ferrari junior proved he was ready to step up when he deputised superbly for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing in seventh.

Later in the year the 19-year-old scored a further point, this time for Haas. That result came in Azerbaijan, in the first of his two stand-in performances for the American team, in place of the suspended Kevin Magnussen.

Bearman is one of four rookies directly moving into F1 from F2, along with champion Gabriel Bortoleto and runner-up Isack Hadjar and former PREMA team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

Whilst those drivers will be closely compared as they embark on their debut F1 seasons together, Michel pointed out why it is hard to judge how they fared at F2 level, something that will remain true in the campaign to come given their vastly differing landing spots.

"It's very difficult to give a specific judgement on each of the drivers, because they're all in different situations," the Frenchman told media including RacingNew365. "For sure, [Gabriel] Bortoleto and [Isack] Hadjar were the big contenders last season.

"Then the other drivers that are going to Formula 1 are Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli," he added before addressing the former's final season in F2.

"Ferrari has been putting its trust in Ollie. Ollie had Jeddah as proof that he was ready for Formula 1," he stated.

"After that, maybe the disturbance of knowing that he might go to F1... it doesn't help to be completely concentrated on the full [F2] season.

"But there's no doubt that Ollie has got [earned] his place in F1, even if he finished P12 in the [F2] championship - he's won races.

"The race that he missed in Jeddah, he was on pole position for us, so probably would have done a good job as well, so I would say that's something that is not an issue for me."

Antonelli hurdles for F1 preparation

Bortoleto, Hadjar and Bearman will each find themselves getting to grips with life in F1 in the back half of the field, with the foremost pair racing for Stake and Racing Bulls, respectively, alongside the latter at Haas.

Antonelli, meanwhile, will face a more formidable task in joining Mercedes. Having skipped FIA F3 altogether - and having to adapt to life in the F1 support paddock and unrivalled expectations - his P6 in the standings was more impressive than it might immediately seem.

Michel was keen to highlight just how much the 18-year-old had to learn last season, a key reason why it is so difficult to compare four drivers who "all deserve their place" in F1, according to the F2 and F3 series boss.

"Kimi finished P6 in the championship," he said, turning his attention to the Italian driver. "He didn't do Formula 3, so that also makes a massive difference.

"Not having this kind of preparation in terms of: number one; the car, because he was coming from Formula Regional directly and, number two; the weekend with Formula 1, and the systems that we are using, and the track time that he has - stuff like this also made his life more difficult. There's no doubt about that.

"Gabriel [Bortoleto] came from Formula 3, Isack [Hadjar] was in his second year of Formula 2. So for them, it made their life easier. Let's put it that way.

"I don't want to try to see who's better between those four drivers, because at the end of the day, I think they all deserve their place in Formula 1.

"Even if they're not finishing P1, but they're finishing P12 in the championship."