Oliver Bearman has revealed he is targeting a return to Ferrari “very soon” as he prepares for his first full season with customer team Haas in F1 2025.

It comes after Fred Vasseur left the door open to Carlos Sainz rejoining the team as Lewis Hamilton‘s potential replacement in the future.

Oliver Bearman to rival Carlos Sainz for Ferrari return?

Bearman will contest his debut season in F1 2025, having been signed as Esteban Ocon’s team-mate in an all-new driver lineup for Haas.

The teenager’s promotion to a permanent seat came after he impressed while standing in for an unwell Sainz at short notice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March.

After setting pole position for the F2 support race, Bearman was called up to race for Ferrari in Jeddah after Sainz was struck down by appendicitis.

The youngster finished seventh on his debut, finishing ahead of compatriots Hamilton and Lando Norris to mark himself as a star of the future.

Analysis: Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari in F1 2025

👉 Lewis Hamilton now finally has a chance to escape the ghosts of Abu Dhabi 2021

👉 Revealed: The remarkable 36-hour timeline behind Lewis Hamilton’s shock Ferrari move

Bearman made two further substitute appearances with Haas in F1 2024, adding an extra point to his tally by finishing 10th in Azerbaijan before qualifying inside the top 10 for the sprint race in Brazil, both while deputising for regular driver Kevin Magnussen.

Hamilton announced in February that he will join Ferrari on a multi-year contract – widely believed to be a two-year deal covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons – forcing the popular Sainz to drop down the grid to Williams.

Vasseur recently offered hope that Sainz could return to Ferrari in the future, revealing that the pair have already discussed a potential reunion.

He told DAZN Spain:  “Of course. We have already talked a couple of times about this.

“This is a very small world. There are only 10 teams and only six or seven top drivers.

“You never know what is going to happen in the future, but most of us – both Carlos on his side and us on our side – have to focus on our projects.

“We don’t know what will happen in 2027, 2028, 2029…”

Sainz has parted ways with Ferrari on good terms, with the team agreeing to release him from his contract early so he could represent Williams in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.

The Spaniard made a return to Ferrari on Tuesday, where Sainz and his father, the rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr, were treated to a special farewell test at the Scuderia’s Fiorano test track.

Clips posted to social media showed father and son together on track in the team’s 2022 car, the F1-75, with which Sainz claimed his maiden F1 win at that year’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

However, Sainz’s hopes of a return to Ferrari may be derailed by Bearman, who has vowed to return to the team in the near future if his stint at Haas proves successful.

He told Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport: “For me growing up and racing with Ferrari has been the greatest pride of my career.

“I hope to be able to return to wearing red very soon.”

Reflecting on his first day at Ferrari’s factory in Maranello, Bearman added: ‘I remember it like it was yesterday.

“The fact that the whole town revolves around Ferrari is an incredible thing to see. That day we saw the Fiorano circuit and the Scuderia headquarters.

“I remember looking around dreaming of driving on that track wearing the Prancing Horse emblem and thinking that if I did well, if I tried harder than anyone else, I would make it.”

Bearman’s comments come after former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher raised concerns that Hamilton may not see out the entirety of his Ferrari contract, having been beaten heavily by Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying conditions in F1 2024.

It resulted in Hamilton conceding that he is “not fast anymore” at the penultimate round in Qatar, with Russell outqualifying his illustrious team-mate at 19 of the 24 races across the season.

Schumacher believes Hamilton, who will turn 40 next month, will not hesitate to retire from F1 if it hits home that he can no longer compete at the front of the grid.

He told Germany’s Sport1: “The danger is there if everything goes negatively.

“I think that when Lewis realises that he is no longer living up to his own standards, he will say so.”

Schumacher’s concerns were echoed by former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, who accused Ferrari chairman John Elkann of having “rocks in his head” replacing Sainz with Hamilton.

Jordan even urged Ferrari to back out of the deal to sign Hamilton, claiming that the seven-time World Champion’s concerns over fading one-lap pace should have alarm bells ringing at Maranello.

He said: “If you don’t believe 100 per cent, you’re f**ked.

“And at the moment I heard Lewis [admit that he’s] not fast enough anymore, if I was Ferrari I would say close the book, find the way out. That’s it.

“A little message to you, Lewis: always remember in life, you’ve got your music, you’ve got your fashion, you’ve got all sorts of other things.

“You are, in most people’s view, the greatest driver of all time. Please remember what I’m going to say to you.

“Always, always think about the best exit. And this is the time to take the money off the table. Go.

“You are an amazing ambassador. We absolutely adore you.

“But don’t put yourself in a position where we think less of you because you’re marking time out at Ferrari. That’s all I will say.”

Read next: Four reasons why Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari makes so much sense