For me this team has been the surprise of the season. As others have mentioned it's almost unbelievable that they have a) kept up with or exceed the quantity of developments of their main rivals (which I'm counting as everyone outside the top 4 teams), but b) they actually seem to have been immediately effective. I don't think this has been the case since 2018, if ever. This is more impressive when you consider that Ferrari, with 50% of the same car (PU, suspension at least) and same WT has not been able to do so.
I don't put any real stock in the Toyota rumors but the fact that such rumors can even exist and are not seen immediately as an absolute joke is a compliment in my book. Even 6 months ago you would have said such a thing is crazy but they are currently the top non-manufacturer team (if you consider that VCARB is off the table for any OEM partnerships) in the WCC.
For 2025 Bearman offers a lot of upside even if it will be difficult to replace Hulkenberg. Assuming MAG is gone and the rumors that Ocon is coming in are true, I think they can probably back up this performance next year. I am not a personal fan of Ocon or how he conducts himself with his teammates but I do think he is very fast. Magnussen-esque but faster IMO. One thing I found interesting from Bearman's announcement is Komatsu saying they are basically "restarting the team" from here. I guess this could lean into the Toyota theory even if I think it's more from a driver perspective than anything else. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... 7gesQ5dAz3
It won't happen since he wants a long-term project but honestly if I were Sainz and I really thought I could get another top seat in 2026 or 2027 I would seriously consider Haas on a 1+1 deal with a driver option. It's got to be the most similar to Ferrari in terms of car characteristics and since next year's cars will be carryovers from this year you'd think that he could still regularly fight for points given the team's current competitiveness. Could Williams or Alpine jump them next year? Sure, although I doubt it would be by much considering the carryover from this year that is expected. I doubt Sauber/Audi would, especially in their lame-duck Ferrari PU season.
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