Oliver Bearman has been a rising star in the motorsport world for years. He won the Italian and German Formula 4 series before racing through Formula 3 and Formula 2 in just a few years. However, his introduction to Formula 1 didn’t come in typical fashion.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Bearman relived some of the most crucial days in his career, which led to where he is right now: racing in Formula 1 as part of the Ferrari family.
The turning point in Oliver Bearman’s career
Bearman’s 2024 F2 season wasn’t as impressive as the other F1 rookies’ for this season. His 12th-place finish in the driver’s championship saw him finish behind Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Franco Colapinto. However, this didn’t matter as he had already proved himself in Formula 1 during a shock debut.
Just hours before FP3 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix began, Bearman received word that he’d be filling in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the weekend.
“It was literally a few hours’ notice,” Bearman told Motorsport.com. “But it was the biggest opportunity of my life. Things weren’t going great in F2 at the time, and suddenly I had the chance to show what I could do in a Ferrari F1 car.”
“I’d only done two days in an F1 car before, so I was cautious – I didn’t want to mess it up. That held me back a bit, but I think I still showed about 50% of what I’m capable of, and that was enough to get me here. Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be now if Jeddah hadn’t happened.”
Bearman, who’d spent just two days in an F1 car before that, finished P10 in FP3 before qualifying P11, missing out on Q3 by less than a tenth of a second. On race day, he was able to make up four places, finishing P7 in his Formula 1 debut. Despite his impressive performance, he still thought he left a bit on the table.
Oliver Bearman reveals the moment he became a full-time F1 driver
A few months after his debut, Oliver Bearman received more great news: he had a seat in Formula 1 for the 2025 season, driving for Haas. His performance in Jeddah impressed those at the American outfit enough to offer him a full-time seat in the pinnacle of motorsport.
“It was after the Austria weekend, just before Silverstone – I think Monday or Tuesday. I was flying back to England and got the news: I’d be a Haas race driver for 2025. A full season. That was a really special moment.”
2024 was a special year for Bearman. If he hadn’t gotten the call to replace Sainz in Jeddah, there’s no guarantee he would’ve gotten the Haas seat, and his father admitted that he couldn’t have funded both Ollie’s F2 career and his brother Thomas’s F4 career.
Sometimes in sport, it’s better to be lucky than good. Luckily for Bearman, he’s both.
