Haas begins the 2025 F1 season with an all-new driver line-up as Ferrari protege Oliver Bearman joins forces with Alpine exile Esteban Ocon.
The two replace Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, who have left F1 and joined Stake, respectively, although Magnussen is set to be retained in an advisory role by the team.
Highly-rated Ferrari junior Bearman has actually already made his F1 debut, racing three times in 2024 for an ill Carlos Sainz for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, and then a banned and ill Magnussen in Azerbaijan and Sao Paulo, respectively.
Ocon joins Haas as an established midfield runner, who can boast a grand prix win to his name, having claimed his maiden win at the 2021 Hungarian GP.
Following a break-down of relations with Alpine, Ocon opted for pastures new, with boss Ayao Komatsu keen to land the experienced French driver.
As part of a series, RacingNews365 asked readers which driver they believed would come out on top from each of the 10 partnerships on the grid in 2025.
As the results show below, the Bearman vs Ocon line-up at Haas saw an almost even split in votes from F1 fans, with Ocon nudging Bearman by just 0.76% or just four votes!
Which Has F1 driver will score more points in 2025?
| Answer | Share of vote |
|---|---|
| Oliver Bearman | 49.62% |
| Esteban Ocon | 50.38% |
Analysis
Ocon, as the more experienced driver with 156 starts, one win and four podiums, will expect to start at Haas as the team leader, and be expected to be immediately on the pace, and scoring points if the new machine is capable of doing so.
He is a known quantity, and this presents Bearman with a situation that Mick Schumacher faced during his 2022 season alongside Magnussen.
Ocon is a perfectly capable grand prix driver, who will harvest a decent haul of points, and on his day, is capable of an outstanding result - such as his second place in the torrid conditions of the 2024 Sao Paulo GP.
But he is not an absolute top-liner in the mould of a Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
And that represents a golden chance for Bearman.
Given Ocon's known quantity status, if Bearman can come in and comprehensively out-perform Ocon, that puts him in a strong position to maybe succeed Hamilton in a couple of seasons at Ferrari once he finally retires.
If he cannot, then would Ferrari really place a driver who could not beat a respectable midfield runner in its car and expect him to challenge in the white-hot environment that is the battle for F1 wins and championships?
It was a fate which befell Schumacher.
Paired with Magnussen after Nikita Mazepin was sacked, the German failed to match the Dane, and was eventually replaced after the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by Hulkenberg.
He is yet to return to a full-time F1 seat.
Bearman is the next cab off the Ferrari rank, and has shown he is capable of thriving under pressure, such as when he was thrown in on Friday morning before FP3 in Saudi Arabia, going on to qualify 11th and finish seventh on debut.
Ocon is also known to have a feisty relationship with team-mates, and will not want to be shown up.
It creates a fascinating driver pairing.
Verdict: Oliver Bearman - just.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they discuss Lewis Hamilton's next two big Ferrari tests and reflect on last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours. Max Verstappen was a big talking point in Daytona, with multiple drivers calling for him to enter.
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