Oliver Bearman will race in Formula One next year, having joined Haas on a multi-year deal, which was officially confirmed ahead of the British teenager’s home race at Silverstone.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Bearman reflected on the announcement and his journey to Formula 1, saying: “I mean, of course I’ve been—I felt like I’ve been performing well since the beginning in free practices. And honestly, every time I’ve driven with Haas—I also did the post-season test in Abu Dhabi—I’ve always got out the car feeling like I put a good image of myself.
“I performed in a way that I was proud of, which is important to me. And I knew that if I continued to do that, hopefully I would do enough to get an F1 seat. And I’m happy that (…) it was finally confirmed after Red Bull Ring on Sunday.
“In F1, until you put a pen on a piece of paper, it’s not really official. So I knew that we were working towards it and that we were pretty much getting there for a while. But you can never celebrate too soon because F1 is a fast-moving world and you’re only as good as your last race.
“I shared that moment with my manager, who’s been with me all the way,” he said. “And that was quite an emotional moment. (…) It was relief and excitement; it’s those last 10, 11, 12 years of my life that I’ve been working so hard for this. All the sacrifices I’ve had to make, I feel like they’ve paid off by signing that piece of paper.”
Bearman confirmed he has already picked his racing number, having previously used number 38 for his impromptu debut with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia.
“Yeah, I’m going to use 87, that’s confirmed. I didn’t get to choose my number in Jeddah. First of all, even if I did, that was the last of my worries.
“It’s the number that I’ve raced since the beginning. It’s the number that my dad raced with (…) so 87 was the number of choice and that will continue to be the case.”
Bearman acknowledged his ‘super sub’ moment—when Ferrari pulled him from his Prema team for the weekend in Jeddah to replace the appendicitis-stricken Carlos Sainz and partner Charles Leclerc on the other side of the garage—helped make his promotion to Formula 1 something of an inevitability.
“I think the Saudi performance was really the ‘stars aligning’ moment that made my step into F1 possible,” Bearman said. “Because I think without that, it would really have been difficult, especially with how it’s going at the moment [in F2]. So that really, really helped me.
“And also for my own confidence, because you never really know how you’re going to perform until you race against real F1 drivers. And that was my opportunity, and I feel like I did a decent job.
“I think Saudi showed what I was capable of and showed that rookies and people with lack of experience aren’t really so far behind the normal cohort. (…) I still felt that I could do a good job in the free practices. But let’s say I’m happy that Saudi happened because I think it’s a major contributor to why I’m here right now.”
Although he just barely missed out on a Q3 appearance, he managed to keep a cool head and impress on debut, securing points with a 7th place finish. Afterwards, he was congratulated and praised effusively by those he grew up idolising, including Leclerc and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I think since Saudi everything has grown exponentially,” Bearman continued. “The exposure to fans, the media aspect of things.
“And of course that’s good preparation for next year. This will become the norm I guess. So I haven’t had any media training but I’ve had media training just by doing more media sessions. So that of course helps and I have to pick my words correctly. (…) I’m working on that.
“But yeah, mental side. Of course I need to be prepared for that next year because it’s a really demanding calendar, 24 races. There’s not really time for breaks. So I need to be ready for that and physically as well. It’s quite a big step physically from Formula 2 so I need to be good for that.”
Although Haas will be Bearman’s first official F1 team, Ferrari will undoubtedly continue to monitor his performances, expecting progress and consistency from their FDA junior. Mick Schumacher’s stock fell considerably after his two year stint at Haas; his partnership with Ferrari was officially dissolved in December 2022.
“I haven’t gone over expectations yet,” Bearman admitted. “I think it’s a bit of a moving target. You have to see the score, let’s say.
“It changes year on year and even race on race. It’s not really something I’ve thought about yet. But my personal expectation and what I want to achieve is improving race on race. Feeling like I maximise my performance and see a progression in myself, in my ability. That will be my target.
“I’m happy that my new focus of next year will be the big one. I haven’t surprised myself because I know what I’m capable of and I know what I can do—but maybe I’ve surprised a few others.”
Bearman added: “Of course my long-term dream remains the same. I want to be successful in F1. I want to win races and championships. With the support and loyalty that Ferrari have shown to me, it’s only right that I would want to do that with Ferrari.
“It’s every boy’s dream. Making my debut with them of course made that even stronger. But by the same token I’m also looking at this short-term, medium-term future. My short-term is finishing Formula 2 and looking towards next year with Haas. I’m really excited for that as well.”
Leclerc remains the benchmark for young Ferrari hopefuls: his rookie season with Sauber was impressive enough for him to be promoted to a full-time Ferrari drive alongside four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel for 2019. So far, he’s the only Ferrari Driver Academy graduate to successfully make that move.
“I hope so. That would be the dream,” Bearman said on the prospect of following Leclerc’s trajectory. “It’s not really in my hands, I feel like, but all I can do is perform at my best and that’s my goal anyway.
“Everything that comes after that, that’s not really within my control. I’m focusing on my future with Haas at the moment and I’m really excited to get started.”
And as for potentially replacing a departing Hamilton in the future?
“It’s hard not to think about,” Bearman said, “but I’m not thinking about it.”
