F1 boss admits his driver's future is not in his hands

Ayao Komatsu, James Vowles and Fred Vasseur in an FIA press conference — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 boss admits his driver's future is not in his hands

F1 silly season is underway, but who will make the next move?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 11 June 2026 10:57

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It's that time of year again in F1 where every day is filled with the possibility of a shock driver transfer or equally predictable contract announcement.

Take Charles Leclerc and Ferrari for example. The Scuderia announced ahead of Leclerc's home race in Monaco last week that the 28-year-old had committed even more of his future to the Scuderia despite not having a sniff of a title chance since the start of 2022.

It's no surprise that Ferrari have opted to stick with their golden boy but what did emerge after news of the Monegasque's contract extension is that multiple teams were interested in at least discussing the potential of a move away from Maranello.

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Mercedes and McLaren entertained talks with Leclerc according to Sky F1 icon Martin Brundle, serving as a reminder that fans never really know what is going on behind the scenes.

Toto Wolff has always made it clear that it is simply his job to explore whether someone like four-time champion Max Verstappen could be open to joining Mercedes, but what about the drivers who are still technically part of a rival team's ranks?

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Haas boss looks to Ferrari over Bearman future

Many stars of the 2026 grid got their big break in the pinnacle of motorsport thanks to an association with one of the coveted junior driver programmes. This includes Leclerc and the driver who has been tipped to join the Scuderia in future, Ollie Bearman.

The British racer currently competes for Haas and is enjoying his sophomore campaign in the sport, but he is essentially on loan to the squad run by Ayao Komatsu given he is still part of the Ferrari driver academy.

Following Ferrari’s recent announcement that Leclerc’s contract renewal could see him race in red into the 2030s, the conversation has now turned to Bearman’s future.

Whether the 21-year-old can expect to secure a full-time seat with the Scuderia in years to come now naturally depends on Lewis Hamilton's decision over how long he wishes to compete.

Now 41, Hamilton recently reassured fans he doesn't plan on going anywhere anytime soon and is only getting started with his plans to revamp Ferrari into a championship-winning team once again.

So where does this leave Bearman? Well according to Komatsu, that's a question for the Scuderia's team principal, Fred Vasseur.

In quotes reported by AutoRacer, Komatsu was recently asked whether Bearman's seat at Haas was now 100 per cent secure for next season.

Both Bearman and team-mate Esteban Ocon have contracts that expire this year, but instead of revealing his own driver lineup plans, the Haas team principal suggested the media should look to Vasseur for answers.

"Is Ollie already certain to be racing with us next year? I think you should ask Fred Vasseur that question directly,” said Komatsu.

F1 Haas Ollie Bearman Ayao Komatsu