Bearman makes his F1 debut with Ferrari at Fiorano

Darshan Chokhani

1 year ago

F2 front-runner Oliver Bearman made his F1 debut with Ferrari at Fiorano as he readies for his first FP1 run with Haas.

With a gap in the F2 calendar until the finale in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari arranged a special debut F1 test run for its academy driver Bearman at Fiorano on Wednesday. He completed over 400 kilometers in the SF51 machine using #50 on the car.

This was not only a reward for a good showing so far in his F1 campaign, but also a preparation towards his FP1 debut in Mexico with Haas along with Abu Dhabi as well. He had an immersing weekend with the American F1 outfit in Qatar.

He had his seat fitting and also spent time understanding the know hows of a F1 team. The purpose of the Ferrari test was also for Bearman to secure the FP1 superlicense as the Brit was certainly and naturally elated with his run with the Italian manufacturer.

“If you think I wasn’t excited, you’d be mistaken,” said Bearman. “I can’t deny that last night I struggled to get to sleep. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day, with my parents on hand and I’m told my mother got quite excited when I drove out of the garage in the Ferrari.

“The engineers guided me step by step for the first few laps, then as I gained confidence in the car I started to really enjoy it. I was prepared for the enormous amount of power on hand, as I had already driven a Formula 1 car on the simulator. But what really surprised me was the level of grip, which is harder to feel sitting in the sim and it’s crazy when compared to the amount you have with the Formula 2 car I’m racing at the moment.

“The other surprising thing is the level of downforce on these cars, it’s just incredible. Thank you to the Scuderia for making me feel part of the group right away and everyone at Ferrari who made this unforgettable day possible,” summed up Bearman.

Here’s a small video: https://x.com/insideFDA/status/1712030975159329033?s=20

Here’s a selection of photos: