Oliver Bearman is ‘set to join a new F1 team next season’ after stunning debut with Ferrari as the 18-year-old racing sensation ‘prepares to make a permanent switch’

Oliver Bearman is set to be handed a permanent spot in Formula One next season after his stunning Ferrari debut at the weekend, according to reports.

The 18-year-old was drafted in as a last-minute replacement by the Italian garage for Carlos Sainz – who underwent surgery for appendicitis – and impressed during his first outing in Saudi Arabia.

Bearman was set to race in the weekend’s FP2 competition before being hauled in for his first senior drive by Ferrari for the second event of the new F1 season.

There was no sense of nerves from the Ferrari-schooled youngster as he finished above Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris in Jeddah and is now being targeted for a permanent spot at another team.

Bearman claimed six championship points for finishing seventh but will now return to junior racing as Sainz prepares to return for the upcoming Australian GP in Melbourne.

Ferrari drafted in Bearman to replace Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

However, it is now set to be his final season in the junior ranks with Haas wanting him to becoming a permanent fixture in their paddock, as reported by The Sun.

Ferrari and Haas share a close partnership with the American outfit working with the with the Maranello-based team to improve their standings.

Both current Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen, 31, and Nico Hulkenberg, 36, are out of contract at the end of the season, with Bearman favourite to be brought in as one replacement.

Speaking after his F1 debut in the Middle East, a beaming Bearman said:  ‘I think I did a decent job. That’s all I can do. 

Bearman is set to be given a permanent position at American team Haas next season

The 18-year-old starred by finishing seventh in his debut race in Formula One on Saturday

‘I don’t know what else I can do because I don’t think I’ll be in Formula One for the rest of the year. 

‘So that was my goal to have a great showing this weekend. That’s all I can do for now, to push in F2 and cross my fingers, that’s it,’ he added.

Meanwhile, a Ferrari-bound Hamilton lauded Bearman as a ‘phenomenal’ talent and tipped him for a huge future in the sport.

‘To be pulled out of your class and put straight into a Ferrari, he did such a phenomenal job. It has showed he is a really bright future star.’