From reserve driver to securing a full time Formula 1 seat with Haas F1
Despite only being 19 years old, Oliver Bearman has accomplished so much throughout his career in motorsport. Bearman had his Formula 1 debut sooner than anyone would have expected when Ferrari needed a driver replacement for Carlos Sainz who had to undergo an appendix surgery. Bearman shocked the F1 world by securing points at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and cemented his name as one of the most impressive young drivers.
Bearman began his career in karting, like most F1 drivers. At the young age of eight years old, Bearman proved his talents in the junior X30 class by winning both the European and World championships. Bearman was streamlined into the path of becoming a Formula 1 driver with the Brit racing in Formula 2 and 3. Bearman has consistently proved his talent and worth within the sport and it was all rewarded when it was announced earlier this season that Bearman will be driving for Haas starting in 2025.
Born on May 8th, 2005, Oliver Bearman is currently 19 years old, which will make him the youngest driver on the grid when he joins the Haas F1 team in 2025. Like many other drivers, Bearman’s love for the sport began when he was just eight years old and started karting.
Born to David and Terri Bearman, Oliver (Ollie), has two younger siblings; a brother named Thomas and a sister named Amalie. Like his older brother, Thomas has taken a liking to motorsports and has started pursuing Karting himself. Amalie has chosen a different route and is dabbling in showjumping. David Bearman not only is a big motorsports fan himself, but he is also the founder and CEO of Aventum Group which is a global insurance group.
Bearman grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, where he attended school. At the age of 16, Bearman decided to leave school to pursue his career in motorsport. He joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in Modena, Italy and has since proved his talents as a driver.
Oliver Bearman will be joining the Formula 1 grid in 2025 after Haas announced the young Brit as their second driver alongside Esteban Ocon. Bearman made his first appearance within the Formula racing series back in 2020 when he raced for ADAC Formula 4 while simultaneously racing for the Italian F4 Championship. He went on to win both of those championships which streamlined him into racing for the GB3 Championship. Once again, Bearman was able to prove his prowess in this series and showed he was a force to be reckoned with.
In October of 2021, Bearman was announced as being one of the Prema Racing drivers for that season alongside Jak Crawford, Arthur Leclerc and Paul Aron. Bearman finished the season in third place in the championship after a slew of impressive finishes. The Brit continued to move up the ranks as he was then announced to be a Prema Racing driver for the 2023 Formula 2 Championship. He drove alongside Frederik Vesti who is the Mercedes junior driver. After some misfortune throughout the season, Bearman was only able to finish in 6th place in the drivers’ championship but helped contribute to Prema Racings’ second place finish in the teams’ championship.
In February of 2024, Bearman was announced as Ferrari’s reserve driver alongside Antonio Giovonazzi. His time to prove himself as a driver came much sooner than expected when he had to fill in for Carlos Sainz during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sainz had to undergo appendix surgery which left Bearman to step up to the plate and help Ferrari secure a solid result. Bearman did not disappoint after qualifying in P11 and later securing points by coming in P7 in the race. This cemented Bearman as the youngest driver to score points on their F1 debut.
In July of 2024, it was announced that Ollie Bearman will be driving for Haas during the 2025 Formula 1 season alongside Esteban Ocon. This is an exciting new chapter for Bearman and it will be interesting to see what he can deliver for the team and himself.
Ollie Bearman has had quite the career despite his young age. Throughout 2013-2015, Bearman raced with Evolution Racing and secured some impressive results in the karting championships. From 2016-17, bearman raced with Virtus Motorsport and secured his first Championship win for the Kartmasters British Grand Prix after a slew of second place finishes.
Some of Bearman’s most notable moments came during 2019-2020 when he was racing for KR Sport. Bearman finished first in the IAME Winter Cup - X30 Junior and Senior Championship as well as finishing first in the IAME Euro Series and the IAME International Final. These top finishes helped expedite him as a force to be reckoned with in the racing world.
In 2020, Bearman raced with US Racing in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship and in the Italian F4 Championship. After some impressive performances, Bearman changed teams to Van Amersfoort Racing which helped him to secure two first place finishes in the championship. Bearman went on to join the Formula Regional Asian Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship and the Formula 2 Championship where he was able to prove his talents within the car.
Bearman’s most notable achievement to date is when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman qualified in P11 and finished the race in P7, securing points for Ferrari and becoming the youngest driver to get points on their debut race.
This ultimately helped Bearman secure his seat with Haas F1 for the upcoming 2025 season where he will race alongside Esteban Ocon.
Despite being the youngest driver to be joining the Formula 1 grid, Bearman will be standing as one of the tallest. Bearman stands at an impressive 6 feet (1.84 meters), which puts him in contention with George Russell, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon for being the tallest drivers. Bearman approximately weighs 150 lbs (68kg) and follows a strict training regime to ensure that he is fully equipped to be in the car.
Training for Formula 1 drivers usually consists of rigorous strength training, cardio, endurance exercises and reflex training, all to maintain their fitness and stamina for when they get behind the wheel.
Although Ollie Bearman’s exact net worth isn’t confirmed, it is estimated that the young racing driver has a net worth of roughly £1 million. This is quite an impressive figure for a 19 year old who has yet to make their full time appearance in Formula 1.
Bearman’s helmet design is heavily based on the design he used back in his karting days. He keeps a standard color scheme of fluorescent yellow and navy blue. On the top of the helmet is an outline of a bear to signify his last name. Bearman has confirmed that he will race with the number 87 when he starts racing with Haas in 2025. 87 is the number that Bearman has raced with since his early racing years. It was the number that his father raced with and signifies Ollie’s birthday, which is May 8th and his brother Thomas’ birthday, which is August 7th.
It was rumored that Ollie Bearman was dating Estelle Ogilvy, a 21 year old law student and aspiring model. It is unclear if the pair are still together or not.
It is also important to note that personal relationships can change quickly.
With his undeniable talent at such a young age, the future is looking very bright for Ollie Bearman. He will be driving for Haas F1 starting in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon and will indefinitely prove his skill within the car. After an impressive F1 debut where he came P7 for Ferrari, it is expected that Ollie Bearman will continue to produce impressive race results in the coming years.