Interview
Bearman reveals: 'Otherwise seat in Formula One would have become very difficult'
Oliver Bearman has been announced by Haas as one of their drivers for 2025. Speaking at Silverstone for the first time after his announcement, the Briton addressed the role of his performance in Saudi Arabia and the number of tests he will do for the rest of the season.
It had been known to many for some time that Oliver Bearman would get a place at Haas. The Briton impressed during free practice for Haas in 2024, won races in Formula 2 and completely asserted himself at his F1 debut for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia. According to Bearman, that weekend had a big impact on the course of his career.
"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 with how it's going at the moment. 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," Bearman stated when asked by GPblog.
Will Bearman do more testing for Haas?
Whereas Bearman left a great impression in Formula 1, his season in Formula 2 has so far been disappointing. His team Prema are struggling to cope with the new cars in 2024 and Bearman and also teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli are suffering from that too. However, now that the deal in F1 has been signed, Bearman can turn his focus to the rest of the F2 season.
Nevertheless, Bearman will still see a lot of action in Formula 1. For instance, he will drive four more weekends, including at Silverstone, a first free practice session on behalf of Haas. These sessions were scheduled prior to the year. In addition, Bearman will also drive Ferrari's old F1 cars to be fully ready for the start of the 2025 F1 season.
Asked if there will now be more tests and training sessions with the announcement of his deal, Bearman said: "I’m not sure. I have the six with Haas, so four more. On Wednesday, I have the tyre test here with Haas again. I have good mileage lined up with them. I’m not sure about my prospects with them for the rest of the season. That’s not my decision. Of course, if it was up to me I’d be driving every day. That’s not an option. With Ferrari, we have an extensive programme lined up already, so that’s good," Bearman concluded.