Ollie Bearman addressed speculation regarding his future in Formula 1. Despite reports suggesting he has already signed with a team, specifically Haas, the Brit remains grounded and focused on his current performance.
When asked about the recent reports, Bearman stated, “These are all rumours and speculation and stuff and there’s not really any backing to them.
“I try to just stay focused on what I can do on driving the car. And in the end, I try and stay away from this speculation because it’s unhealthy at the end.”
Regarding a timeline for decisions regarding his future, Bearman said that he does not have a defined time frame. His primary goal is to continue performing well on the track. Reflecting on his FP1 performance in Imola, Bearman expressed satisfaction and a desire to replicate such solid sessions, saying, “My goal is, of course, as a driver, to keep performing well. I think my FP1 in Imola went really well, and I was happy with that. So I want to keep doing that.
“In terms of a time frame, I don’t have anything defined.”
Bearman revealed that he engaged in discussions with various key figures, including Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur and members of the Haas team, to evaluate his performance. He noted the importance of staying updated and in the loop, despite the busy schedules of team principals like Ayao Komatsu.
“So, of course, with Fred. First of all, he keeps an eye in the background, probably without me knowing. But, yeah, I like to stay updated with him and in the loop because it’s nice to know where you stand almost.
“Also, with Ayao, I didn’t have time to catch up with him during Imola. I think since last year, I knew him last year as being the second-in-command, let’s say. But now he’s moved to team principal. It’s a much more demanding job. So he didn’t have time to sit down with me during the race weekend. But I caught up with him a bit in Maranello as well. It’s nice to be on the same page.”
Bearman acknowledged that while Fred Vasseur closely follows his progress, he does not know exactly where he stands with him.
“No, it’s tough to know where you stand. No, I mean, it’s just he likes to, of course, follow my progress closely. I think he knows where I stand, but I don’t know where I stand with him,” he said.
Addressing assumptions about securing a seat, Bearman said his aim is clear, but he recognises the need for continual improvement.
“I don’t know if the assumption is wrong or right. Of course, that’s my goal. That’s what I’m aiming towards. There’s no hiding that.
“I have a few things personally that I’ve identified that I want to improve when I’m driving in F1. But that really comes with experience and doing more laps.
“And I think just me working towards that goal is going to hopefully be enough to get me where I want to be.”
He identified areas for development, particularly in adapting to qualifying conditions and maximising performance on the softest tyre, which he believes will come with experience.
The 19-year-old says he gets up to speed very quickly. A brilliant 7th on his F1 debut in Jeddah with Ferrari, as well as a very solid P15 in practice at Imola with Haas, supports that theory.
“I tend to get up to speed pretty well. That’s one of my strengths.
“In Jeddah, that was the case. And even in Imola, I seemed to be on the pace pretty quickly.
“But whenever we do a qualifying lap on soft tyres, I don’t make the step that easily because it’s quite a big step.
“The track is evolving a lot. The tyre grip is suddenly much higher and the fuel loads are lower. And I tend not to maximise that yet.
“But I don’t need to really overthink that or worry about it. It’s just something that comes with experience and it will come.
“I’m not worried about that. It’s just I’ve identified it as something that I can work on and improve.
Bearman finds the driving style in Formula 1 more intuitive and natural compared to Formula 2.
“I personally find the driving style of F1 to be a bit more natural to me.
“It comes a bit more naturally. It’s like the way to go fast in F1 for me is intuitive. It makes sense. The way I feel like if I want to push more, I tend to gain more lap time.
“Whereas in F2, you have to really respect the car. For me, I have to really consciously drive it.
“Whereas in F1, it’s a bit more subconscious. It tends to come a bit more naturally. I think this year’s one, we’ve been struggling a little bit more as a team to really understand it. So that kind of characteristic is even magnified.
“Generally in F2, it’s like that. We just have less downforce, so things tend to be a bit more balanced. It tends to be a bit more open and a bit more difficult. But it’s the best preparation for F1, I would say.”
Outside the car, Bearman focuses on enhancing his technical knowledge and communication with engineers, which he sees as crucial due to the increased complexity of F1 cars. He is also dedicated to improving his physical fitness and mental resilience, understanding that consistency and mental strength are vital at the highest levels of motorsport to achieve constant excellence.
“Having spent a lot of time now in briefings and stuff, being reserve driver for Ferrari, but also spending time with Haas, you realise the level of these guys is really high. I’ve been consciously working on making a step on that side of things.
“My technical knowledge is something I want to improve for F1, because the complexity of the car is much higher than F2. That’s something that can really help the engineers and start to build a relationship with them on that side of things.
“I want to work on that as well as physically, because F1 is a big step in terms of physicality. I’ve been working really hard in the gym, behind the scenes, because even in these F1 sessions you feel the physicality of the F1 car. I want to be ready, I don’t want that to be limiting me.”
“Finally, the fact that in F1 you can’t afford to not be on point, especially at the moment, how close everyone is. You can’t afford to have a day off, you can’t afford to have a bad day at the office.
“I’m really trying to work on my mental game, because at this level everyone is more or less the same. People who stand out massively in terms of talent, everyone is massively talented at this level. The difference is in the mental game,” he concluded.
