In the long history of drivers moving from GP2/F2 to the ‘table of the big boys’ of F1, there has rarely been a more unusual dynamic than that experienced by the young English talent Ollie Bearman. The 19-year-old Englishman, a leading product of the Ferrari Driver Academy, is in fact struggling a lot this year in the cadet category, having rounded the halfway point of the championship in just 14th place in the standings. And yet his name has just been made official by Haas as the starter for the 2025 season, which will be Bearman’s first full season in F1.
The 2005-born driver has already made his GP debut this year, achieving a sensational seventh place in Saudi Arabia, at the wheel of the Ferrari, when he suddenly found himself called to replace Carlos Sainz, who had undergone appendicitis surgery. It was that performance, more than his current results in F2, that convinced Haas that he was ready for the big leap. Interviewed by journalists at Silverstone, Bearman tried to make it clear that not all the difficulties he is experiencing are attributable to him.
“Differences between F2 and F1? I think it’s just the driving style. It’s quite different and I tend to get along better with the F1 one,” Bearman explained. “And then with our car, up until the Red Bull Ring, it was quite difficult to find the right feeling. It was inconsistent, which becomes really difficult for a driver. Especially with a few tests it’s really difficult, because the balance of the car changes from one session to the next. But I’m really proud of the work done by Prema, because we’ve come a long way and I feel like we’re now in a position to fight for the front.”
Bearman will be wearing the Haas suit next year, but it is clear that in the long term his dream remains to once again step into the Ferrari cockpit, this time full-time: “Without Ferrari, I wouldn’t be sitting here now,” the Englishman acknowledged, “and my long-term dream remains the same. I want to be successful in F1. I want to win races and championships. And given the support and loyalty that Ferrari has shown me, it’s only right that I want to do it with Ferrari.”
In Jeddah Bearman had raced with #38 – assigned to him by default – but from next year his distinctive number will be 87: “I will use 87, this is confirmed – he concluded – I had not been able to choose my number in Jeddah and in any case then it was the least of my worries. But that is the number I have raced with since the beginning. It is the number my father raced with, because I was born on May 8 and my brother on August 7, so 87 has been the favorite number and will continue to be. He spoke about media training.
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