Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Dhara Dave
Oliver Bearman thinks it’s ‘a bit harsh’ not to be judged as a rookie as he heads into his first full Formula One season, after competing in three races in 2024.
18-year-old Bearman took his first Formula 2 pole position of the season in Saudi Arabia and was looking to grab some crucial points in his campaign for the F2 title, but his weekend was soon turned upside down.
Ferrari man Carlos Sainz had to undergo emergency surgery after suffering from appendicitis, meaning that after two out of three Friday practice sessions, Sainz had to drop out of the weekend.
The opportunity arose for Bearman to step up and make his debut with Ferrari. He had one singular session to learn the car before he was thrown into his first F1 qualifying session. Bearman was just shy of the pole position shootout, qualifying 11th and at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he crossed the line in 7th.
The Briton was later called up to step in for Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan after the Dane was handed a race ban. During his second race in Baku, he grabbed another point in the process. Bearman had his third and final 2024 call-up in Sao Paulo when Magnussen came down with an illness.
It was no shock when Haas decided to promote Bearman for the 2025 season, partnering him alongside veteran Esteban Ocon. Alongside himself, four other F2 graduates take the step up into the upcoming season. Jack Doohan being one of the few to have also raced in the 2024 season after Alpine dropped Ocon for the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Bearman was asked at the F1 75 Live launch event about how he feels coming into the season with a full-time seat, reflecting on how his past stand-in experiences have helped shape him.
“I would still consider myself a rookie,” The Briton said.
“I think I’m not officially a rookie, but I think that’s a bit harsh. There are certainly some rookies with more mileage in F1 than me who are still official rookies, so I think it’s harsh to not call me a rookie.”
“I still feel like a rookie. There are still tracks that I haven’t been to, and I still haven’t done a full season in F1, which in my mind makes me a rookie. But I am very lucky to have done three races and a lot of mileage behind the scenes.”
Bearman, however, is eager to get the season underway, with Haas unveiling a new sleek design during the F1 75 Live launch event, teasing an exciting season as the team looks to build upon its most successful season in F1 in 2024:
“I mean, the only uncertainty is how the car is going to perform,” he explained. “I’m quite certain that I feel confident heading into [the first race] of what I can do, how comfortable I am in F1 at this stage.
“I’ve had a good amount of mileage for a rookie, lots of TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) but also lots of race weekends as well, which are very different. Race weekends are unique and a different type of pressure to running on track by yourself in TPC, so to get that experience has been really invaluable.
“Now I’m just excited to get 24 of them, build up, gain experience and really be able to build from it. At least I know exactly what my calendar’s going to look like this year!”
Bearman tested the VF-25 in Bahrain on Wednesday, 26th of February, taking turns with Ocon until Friday, 28th of February, with the season set to get underway in two weeks time in Australia.
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