Oliver Bearman opens up on his signing with Haas, crucial aspect to get the F1 seat despite F2 slump, race number, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton and more.
Even though it was coming for Bearman to be signed up by Haas for 2025 F1 season and beyond, there was minor scare considering how his F2 season is undergoing. But that was out behind after the Austrian weekend, when the formal signing took place.
Bearman reflects on the surreal moment and his family’s reaction, while stressing that the key moment that sealed his fate was the Ferrari drive in Saudi Arabia. To go with that, the F1 tests have played a good supporting act to make up the minds of people at Haas.
He agrees that the F2 performances or results is far from ideal, which is why he thinks that the Jeddah performance did play a significant role. He adds on the expectations now whether from a driving point of view or the team going forward.
The goal to drive for Ferrari remains intact but the immediate thought is a sound F2 finish and a good F1 career start at Haas. He also confirmed his race number as 87 which hasn’t been used in the sport till now, as he also revealed a Hamilton story.
Signing, reaction, family –
Bearman: “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’s confirmed and it’s finally the case. Honestly, it’s been, until it was finally confirmed after Red Bull Ring on Sunday, because you know 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. So I was of course relieved when it finally came about. And I shared that moment with my manager, who’s been with me all the way. And that was quite an emotional moment. Honestly, I should have filmed it or something because I didn’t even… Yeah, I just signed it and that was it. But 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. I didn’t get to see my mum face-to-face until a week or so after. So that wasn’t live emotion, but it was great that I was able to share that moment with her. And of course she was very proud of me. She hasn’t been by my side on the track, but she’s been supporting me as well since Day 1.
“My father, I can probably count on two hands how many races he’s missed since the beginning. So it’s really our moment, we’re sharing it together as a team and it was very proud. I think it couldn’t have come at a better time, honestly. It’s continuing to be a difficult season in F2 because even on Sunday I had an engine failure. So it felt like all that hard work was almost down the drain. But yeah, it came at a really good time, a really important time. Not only for my prospects with F1, but also for the team. Because in Formula 2 we needed a good result to bolster the motivation of everyone. And that really helped us out.”
How much Saudi Arabia helped –
Bearman: “Yeah, I do feel like the F1 running carried a lot of weight. Of course, the race in Saudi, first of all. But even in my free practices and all my testing, it’s always been going pretty well. So that for me carried a bit more weight. And I think for the people that mattered it also carried a bit more weight. But yeah, there’s no way of hiding behind the fact that in F2, it continues to be a little bit difficult. That always leaves a bit of a question mark in the back of your mind. So I’m happy. Like I said, I think the Saudi performance was really the stars aligning moment that made my step into F1 possible. Because I think without that it would really have been difficult, especially with how it’s going at the moment. So that really, really helped me. And also for my own confidence, like you said.
“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. Why Saudi helped? Because 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. And I think I did put a good showing for myself in Saudi. And of course I think with the F2 campaign going the way it is at the moment it’s hard to ignore that. I still felt that I could do a good job in the few 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.”
Difficult F2 season, F1 suits better –
Bearman: “That’s what makes it really difficult. Because I feel like I’m performing at as high a level as ever. But I get to Barcelona and I literally finished last. And last year I won the race by five seconds. Sometimes I’m asking myself the same question. For that reason I don’t have an answer yet. I hope that I can put the inconsistency down to something else rather than myself. Because I honestly feel like I’m performing as high as I ever have which makes sense because I’m the most experienced I’ve ever been. I have belief in myself. I believe that I can be fighting at the front in F1. But at the moment it’s not the case in F2. I don’t know what answer you want. It really depends. It’s very tight in F2. It depends on a lot of things.
“I would say it’s always representative. But the pecking order can change sometimes. Regarding better F1 run, I think just the driving style. First of all it’s quite different and I tend to get on a bit better with F1. Like I said, I think with this new car that we have, I think we’re in a good place now. But before Red Bull Ring, it’s been quite a difficult feeling with the car. Being inconsistent, which makes it really tough as a driver. Especially when I’m doing three practices. It’s really hard when the balance of the car is also changing from session to session. But I’m really proud of the work that Prema’s been doing because we’ve come a long way. I feel like we’re in a position to be fighting up there now.”
Ferrari help, future with them –
Bearman: “I would like to say thank you to Marco Matassa, Alessandro Vantini, Jock Clear and of course to Fred as well. These are people who have been really instrumental in my time with Ferrari. Which is continuing. I’ll still be part of the academy. But in maybe a bit of a different role of course being an F1. But Marco believed in me since the beginning. When it wasn’t that easy to, I would say. He’s been with me every step of the way and he’s put me in a position to be here in F1. Of course without Ferrari I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. 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. I hope so, I mean, that would be the dream, right [to be a Ferrari driver]? 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. It’s hard not to think that [Hamilton will eventually retire], but I’m not thinking about it.”
Quick progression to F1 –
Bearman: “I think since I joined single-seaters in 2020, it’s been a pretty quick progression. I had two years in F4, one year in F3 and now in my second year in F2 I’m making the step to F1. So it’s been quite a quick progression which I’m very proud of and that overall has been great. I’ve always had a new task each year and a new focus and I’m happy that my new focus of next year will be the big one. But yeah, of course 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.”
Expectations –
Bearman: “I haven’t gone over expectations yet. 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 maximize my performance and see a progression in myself and my ability through the year. That will be my target. There’s been nothing specific yet [from Ferrari either]. Honestly I have to sit down with everyone from Ferrari and see exactly what they need. But I don’t think their expectation will be any more difficult than mine because I’m already hard enough on myself, I demand a high level of performance from myself in the beginning.
“So I don’t need any more motivation or pressure. A good first season, again, I’m really struggling to set expectations coming in as a rookie. I said the same when I joined F3, I said the same when I joined F2. I just want to be proud of my performance and you know when you’ve done a good job or not. It’s a personal feeling and when you finish a race, no matter the position, you’re satisfied or you’re not, and that depends on how you personally perform. Like I said, the performance of the car is not really defined. The team is on a really good run at the moment, so of course points is something that I want to be able to score on a regular basis, but it’s really tough to set expectations at this stage.
“On the team side, yeah of course it’s tough to make any expectations like I said about where we will be next year. But I think on a good day this year we’ve shown in Austria that both cars can be in the points, I’m talking about Haas. So yeah points are definitely on offer if everything goes correctly. And F1 is very tight at the moment. It shows that you need to be on the top of your game all the time. You can’t have any days off. It’s so tight. I mean Q1 was split by less than a second in Austria. So now more than ever it’s really really tight. I think the struggles I would say that we’re facing in Formula 2 is preparing me well. To adjust my expectations slightly for what’s to come.”
What key to learn still –
Bearman: “A few things like qualifying. I think it’s something that takes a bit of time and confidence, but confidence comes with time, so I’m not really worried about anything. I just feel like we need to keep going, keep driving, and with the more laps I do, I think if anything persists, if any weaknesses show after I’ve done a substantial amount of days in the car, that’s what I need to focus on. But so far I’m just focusing on increasing my mileage and making sure I’m as ready as possible, because mileage is what’s… We don’t have many laps, especially as a rookie, it’s tough, so that’s what I’ll be focusing on to get there. Only in Jeddah, but I didn’t make it to Q3, so my record isn’t great so far.
“In testing, it’s quite rare that you really go for it, and even if you do, it’s not really qualifying. You leave a bit of margin in places and stuff like that, so Jeddah was my first experience of that, and of course Jeddah, it’s really a specific track. In that track we struggle a bit with tyre warm-up, and Sector 1 is always very difficult, and I found myself struggling a bit there. But yeah, like I said, I think with experience I’ll get there. Yeah, no, but since Jeddah, no, nothing. Testing, yeah, of course, but it’s never less than… You always run with a bit more fuel, of course in free practice, but even in the test with Ferrari.”
Teammate –
Bearman: “That’s a tough question. It’s not really up to me, first of all. Of course, in a teammate I’m looking for someone with experience. And speed, someone to learn from. I think both of them have that trait. To be in F1, first of all, you need to have those traits.”
Media training, learning –
Bearman: “I think since Saudi everything has grown exponentially. 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 noticed that you guys, I need to be careful with what I say. 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 of course physically as well.
“It’s quite a big step physically from Formula 2, so I need to be good for that. I’m not sure, but I would like to sit down with a few people, not only drivers, but also people who work in F1 because, of course, I’ll be a rookie. I won’t have any experience. I want to see what’s important, but some of the things I’ve spoken about with a few people are the importance of managing your time well because in F1, time is your friend and you need to be very punctual, which I should probably work on. Yeah, attend the national anthem. I don’t want to receive any of those fines. You just have to be aware that everything is scrutinised. So that’s it.”
Racing number –
Bearman: “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. But, yeah, it’s the number that I’ve raced since the beginning. It’s the number that my dad raced with because I’m born on the 8th of May and my brother on the 7th of August. So 87 was the number of choice and that will continue to be the case.”
Hamilton story –
Bearman: “I hope I’m against him. That means we did a good job. So, yeah, I know, it’s crazy. And actually I was looking back, I received a video from him in 2015 or 2016 saying, you know, keep pushing, hopefully you can make it to F1 one day, and here I am. So, no, it’s crazy to share the track with these guys who I’ve watched racing, even Fernando. It’s something pretty special. And it’s a pinch yourself moment because these guys are, in my eyes, huge stars and someone that I look up to and it’s quite amazing that I’ll share the circuit with them. I think he met one of my mum’s friends or something like this and she got him to make a video. And it was like the most amazing day of my life and then I just actually got reminded of it again. I saw the video again and it was a funny moment. My phone’s on silent because it’s quite… Probably not F1 drivers, but a lot of my friends are pretty proud of me. I’ve got a big job to respond to them later, but no, it’s of course a proud moment for everyone and I’m really happy to be here.”
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