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What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
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- What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
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Formula 1's driver-contract season was thought to be long over, but a bizarre claim about one of the few remaining out-of-contract drivers has gained surprising traction in the run-up to the Mexico Grand Prix weekend.
The Haas F1 team has already announced Esteban Ocon's exit in favour of Formula 2 frontrunner Rafael Camara next season, but an apparent delay in confirming Oliver Bearman for 2027 has prompted speculation to fill the vacuum. Among the more outlandish claims has been that Bearman's management is demanding a fee of €6million.
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It's understood the source of this figure is an amateur blogger purporting to have inside information on F1 business matters, and the claim has then been amplified without substantiation by other websites and social media 'influencers'. As with many such stories, it then passed a threshold of repetition where it became accepted as fact.
Naturally Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu responded with manifest irritation when he was asked in the FIA's Friday press conference about Bearman's supposed demands.
"Can you clarify, do you understand where that comes from? No? Exactly. Neither do I," Komatsu said.
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"I have no idea where that comes from. I've experienced it sometimes this season as well – people say there's no smoke without fire but there really are some people who will invent a story.
"You know what happened in Miami, apparently I had argument with Esteban Ocon – that's just absolutely zero truth in there. And even those people claiming that they have some insider information – absolute total nonsense.
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"And this one, again, I don't know who smoked up this €6million number. The first time I saw it was on Instagram or something that Stu [Morrison, head of communications] forwarded to me. I was just like, 'Oh great, somebody thought this is a good thing to stir whatever up'.
"I have no comment to make because it's just not even close to the truth. Why do we engage in such absolute nonsense, what's the point of it? Those people are clearly not trying to get anything right, it's amazing these days that people don't check the source – 'So, OK, I want to get some more clicks, I want to get some more likes', so they cut and paste those stories and keep running with it. And then before you know it there are 20 people running the stories and they think it's the truth – it's absolute nonsense."
Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team
Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team
Motorsport.com understands that the delay in agreeing terms has rather more complicated roots. According to Ferrari insiders, Bearman's management have been pushing for assurances that he has a pathway to a race seat with the Scuderia in 2028, on the assumption that Lewis Hamilton will retire.
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As reported last week , Camara's promotion to an F1 drive with Haas means Bearman now has a direct rival – should a Ferrari seat become available. The longer the wait, the more experience Camara gains.
"I don't like to go into the details of our contract, but Ollie is showing amazing potential," said Komatsu. "He's contributing a lot to the team's success and we want to grow together. We want to move up the grid as a team.
"So, first and foremost we need a competitive car for '27. It's not going to be an easy challenge because in '26 we made a mistake, so that's paying the price for '27 as well. But our focus is really to maximize everything under our control, really trying to roll out a competitive '27 car."
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Photos from Mexican GP - Friday
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Woman in traditional dress and face paint
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Woman in traditional dress and face paint
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Gabriele Mini, Alpine
Gabriele Mini, Alpine
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Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
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Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
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Gabriele Mini, Alpine
Gabriele Mini, Alpine
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team
Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team
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Gabriele Mini, Alpine
Gabriele Mini, Alpine
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Colton Herta, Cadillac Racing
Colton Herta, Cadillac Racing
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Colton Herta, Cadillac Racing, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Colton Herta, Cadillac Racing, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull Racing
Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull Racing
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Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Hermanos Rodriguez Raceway
Hermanos Rodriguez Raceway
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Franco Colapinto fan
Franco Colapinto fan
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Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
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Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin Racing
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Manuel Eletto / Getty Images
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Manuel Eletto / Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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