Oliver Bearman’s way to Formula 1 was based at pure speed, earlier maturity – and the urgent need to take any chance. In conversation with Motorsport.com, the 20-year-old looks back on how his surprising Ferrari debut has changed everything-and why it is one of the most difficult tasks as Haas pilot 2025 to keep expectations in check.
There is a story that says a lot about Oliver Bearman. In April 2023, fresh after his breakthrough weekend in Formula 2 in Baku – where he won both the sprint race and the main race – Bearman was 18 years old. One of his sponsors invited him to a meeting.
“They made a little fuss,” recalls Bearman compared to the Italian version of Motorsport.com. “Then they pointed to a Ferrari Roma that was parked nearby. I looked at him and when I turned again, they held the keys to me: ‘Happy birthday.'”
Bearman, stunned, immediately called his father David to share news. “You won’t believe it,” he said. The answer came promptly: “This is great – but you know that we have to pay the insurance – and it won’t be cheap.”
Papa David sacrifices his own “career”
The real problems were never far away in Bearman. Ollie got his first used kart for Christmas 2011 – the beginning of his racing history, but always on the floor with both feet. They drove in the UK because races in Italy would have been too expensive. Cocking the school was not an option. At some point his father David was faced with a decision.
As a club racer, David drove a Porsche Boxster with the start number 87 – an allusion to the birthdays of his sons: Ollie on May 8, Thomas on August 7th. “That’s why you can still see the 87 on the Haas today,” he explains. But when it became clear that Ollie had a real talent, the decision was easy: “I stopped driving. Every cent went into the kart.”
“My father used to run races, and my grandfather too,” says Ollie. “It was just a club racing, for fun. They had neither the budget – nor probably the talent,” he laughs, “to get a lot. I remember how I saw my father driving in his Porsche, I was five or six – I loved it. The sound, the smells, the whole experience. I fell in love with racing.”
The family brought victims to keep their dream alive – knowing that there would hardly be a second chance.
“I remember when I moved from the kart to Formula 4,” says Bearman. “My father was clear: we couldn’t afford to drive two, three or four seasons. It was just too expensive. We even had to save when testing.”
Dschidda as a big breakthrough
This need to deliver from the start – without preparation – became a strength. Bearman was quick in the F4 in the F3 – and again in the F2. But even with this reputation, nobody would have predicted how little lead he would get before his Formula 1 debut in Saudi Arabia last year.
“It was literally only a few hours of warning,” says Bearman grinning. “But it was the greatest chance of my life. In the F2 it was not going well at the time-and suddenly I had the opportunity to show what I can do in a Ferrari F1 car.”
“I was lucky that I got this race. I only had two days in an F1 car, so I was careful, I didn’t want to screw it up. That braked me a little, but I think I still showed about 50 percent of what I can do. And that was enough to bring myself here. To be honest – I don’t know where I would not be now if Dschidda hadn’t happened.”
The hoped -for confirmation came four months later.
“After the Austria weekend, shortly before Silverstone – I think on Monday or Tuesday. I flew back to England when the news came: I will be a regular driver at Haas in 2025. A full season was a very special moment.”
Bearman was already confirmed as a regular driver for Haas for 2025 when he jumped in for the team in Baku and Interlagos at short notice and showed solid performance there.
Smaller rolls this season
“In retrospect, I was a bit spoiled last year,” he admits. “I drove the Ferrari, I got points. Then the same with Haas in Baku. Even in Brazil I came to the Q3 and fought in the top 10.
“But this year was a wake -up call. The distances are so tight – we are not in the position of fighting points every weekend. I had to readjust my expectations so as not to be frustrated.”
“There were races in which I had the feeling that I had driven well – weekends I was proud – but it is difficult to be satisfied if you find yourself on P12 or P15.”
Bearman says he is working hard to stay on the floor. “I try not to let the results pull down – and be honest with myself. If I have done a good job, I take it as a motivation for the next race.”
“Last year the points came pretty easily, that shaped the expectations. This year we are more difficult than expected. Consistent to score is hard, but I am super motivated. Keeping the right attitude and staying positive is extremely important.”Nervousness in the Laurent Mekies officeThis urge to deliver has always been part of Bearman’s DNA. But now, under the Ferrari roof, he can concentrate on the performance on the route – and no longer survive. He still remembers the nervousness on his first contact with Scuderia.
“After winning the title in the Italian F4, Ferrari’s driver’s academy invited me to a test in Fiorano,” he recalls.
“I still know how I went to Laurent Mekies’ office – he was a sports director of the team at the time. I was 15, was sitting opposite someone I only knew on television. I knew: I have to convince you that I was worth the investment. I think my hands trembled.”
Then the first journey on the track came: “I remember the moment when I drove out of the Fiorano garage. I had seen Alonso, Schumacher, Vettel, Leclerc on this route-everyone was driving there. I was only in an F4 car, but it was still something special.”
“And two years later I had my first F1 test. A day that I will never forget. To wear this red overall … you can hardly describe how it feels. It made me proud – and motivated to wear it again.”
The goal: drive a Formula 1 ferrari
Bearman lived in Modena between 2023 and 2024, often commuted to Maranello for simulator work.
“Modena is beautiful. I still keep there when I’m in the area. At the moment I don’t think of Ferrari. I think I have what it takes to drive for the team one day – but I have to prove it myself.”
“I am sure that Ferrari believes in me – you supported me here and gave me the chance that I have now. That brings me out of bed every morning. I want to drive in red. I want to win in red. This is my greatest motivation.”
Of course, he already has a Ferrari – the Roma.
“Right – that’s the most valuable thing I have. My first Ferrari, and he came in such a special way. Since then he has been in the garage.” The insurance? “I’m paying it myself now!”
Is the second Bearman now?
Bearman’s father David is now pursuing the action from a distance – and can now also support the younger brother Thomas, who is now driving in the F4.
“If Ollie had stayed in the F2, I couldn’t have supported both,” says David. “But everything worked out.”
In Silverstone, Thomas drove in one of the framework series – with Ollie and David, who watched the start on the stairs. Thomas’ Weg may be a bit smoother than that of his brother – but the ability to deliver under pressure and immediately deliver it to perfection. And that could be one of the most valuable properties in modern motorsport.