Jock Clear crowns Bearman: “2026 rules highlight his strengths, he will be champion in the future”

Former Ferrari talent scout Jock Clear left Ferrari a few days ago, putting an end to a long journey that lasted more than 10 years with the Cavallino. Among the many activities carried out by the expert English engineer there is also that of “coach” for Charles Leclerc which then opened the doors for his latest job in Maranello, that of manager of the Ferrari Driver Academy. It is precisely within the FDA that the 62-year-old was able to put into practice all his long-term knowledge of driver management – in the past he also worked very closely with world champions Jacques Villeneuve, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher – showing off as one of the discoverers of Ollie Bearman. Ollie Bearman praises Jock Clear The young Haas driver made his F1 debut with Ferrari in the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP to replace Carlos Sainz, immediately showing his qualities. Then, in 2025, a bright season with high-level results, which led the English talent to beat the expert Esteban Ocon in the internal boxing challenge. But the best, according to what Jock Clear said in an interview with the CasinoHawks website, is yet to come: “I think with the new rules, good drivers will continue to be good. But Ollie Bearman, I think he will do well next year. There are a lot of drivers on the grid who I don’t know particularly well. I know Oscar Piastri a little bit, I don’t know Lando Norris at all and I was really impressed with Isack Hadjar because I honestly didn’t expect him to do so well. But, overall, I think the new rules they will play in Bearman’s favor by enhancing his strengths.” “It’s still too early to say – adds Clear – and I think I’ve said the same about Charles Leclerc in the past, but at the moment I don’t see any reason why Bearman can’t become world champion. When you work with some riders, you quickly realize if they’re good but not to the point of winning a title. I haven’t seen anything from Ollie yet that makes me think he can’t do it. He’s overcome every challenge and done it against all odds. He had a terrible start to the year and had a lot to learn, but in the middle of the season he showed how good he is and how quickly he learns. Esteban Ocon is certainly not an amateur but Ollie Bearman has practically always been a little faster than him. He has the performance and is super intelligent, with these two characteristics, there is no reason why he cannot become champion in the future.”