Oliver Bearman is a professional racing driver in the Formula 2 Championship for Prema Racing. The young British driver is signed with Ferrari Driver Academy. The driver made his debut in Formula 1 in the second race of the 2024 season held in Saudi Arabia. Ollie came in as a replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr. who is currently recovering from appendicitis surgery.
Bearman was all prepared to race in the Formula 2. However, he was asked to replace Sainz Jr. which led to his debut in Formula 1. The Briton driver started the race in 11th position but ended the race in 7th position earning 6 points for the Prancing Horse. Even though Bearman came to Formula 1 temporarily, he did leave his mark on teams in the paddock to notice the youngster’s skills.
Carlos is set to return by the Australian GP so unfortunately we won’t be seeing Ollie for a while. While the driver will go back to driving for Formula 2 this might not be his last appearance in Formula 1.
When is Oliver Bearman moving to Formula 1?
Oliver has proved that he is cut to race in the Formula 1 series with his skills in the Saudi GP. The driver managed to gain significantly helping the team gain points in Sainz Jr’s absence. He managed to finish above Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton who were breathing down behind him in faster softer tires. Now that Bearman is set to go back to Formula 2 he will give his best to come back to Formula 1.
The young British driver is a reserve driver for both the Prancing Horse and Haas Formula 1 team. Ferrari is all booked with their new driver Lewis Hamilton who is set to replace Carlos Sainz in the 2025 season. This thins the chance of the rookie driver to end up in Ferrari for 2025. In a recent report, the Briton was asked what can he do to make his position permanent in F1.
After a mighty debut for Ferrari, Oliver Bearman is looking to build a relationship with customer team Haas as he now tries to land a #F1 2025 seat.
Time for some exciting young talent to join the grid next year!https://t.co/8rA0dHrck5
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) March 11, 2024
Ollie replied, “I don’t know what else I can do, because I don’t think I’ll be in F1 for the rest of the year. I think I did a decent job and that’s all I can do, push in F2 and cross my fingers.” He added, “I have a lot of FPs with Haas this year, so I’m looking forward to building up a relationship and gaining more miles in the car.”
While he may not be signed with any teams right now for Formula 1, he is set to show up more often on Formula 1 for his FP1 sessions with Haas. While it was an advantage racing in a high-paced track of Saudi Arabia in a powerful car. Trying to build a relationship with Haas with the FP1s could be an opportunity to make a return to F1 quicker.