Written By Olivia Eyeson, Edited by Juan Arroyo and Vyas Ponnuri
Oliver Bearman is a 17-year-old British driver currently competing in Formula 2 for Prema Racing, alongside Frederik Vesti. The young Brit has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) since 2021, after competing in the World Scouting Finals.
He began karting at the age of eight, and raced competitively from 2013 to 2020. In his final years of karting, he secured the 2020 IAME Winter Cup - X30 Senior, and the IAME International Final — X30 Junior championships amongst others.
He progressed to single-seaters early, due to the delayed 2020 season, meaning he was 15 when the championships began. In his first season of ADAC F4, he finished P7, and finished P10 in Italian F4.
He was the champion in his second season of both categories, earning him a Formula 3 seat. In the 2021 season, he also competed in nine races of the GB3 championship, winning a race and taking two podiums.
In Formula 3, he raced for Prema Racing, alongside Arthur Leclerc and Jak Crawford. The boy from Chelmsford wasn’t immediately competitive, but in the second half of the season, he showed his pace and talent.
Despite a single victory during his campaign, he finished third at the end of the season, a mere seven points off eventual champion Victor Martins. He also took part in the Formula Regional Asian Championship prior to the main F3 season, taking a podium and finishing P15 overall.
Now 17, Bearman is competing in Formula 2. In only his second race of the series, at Saudi Arabia, he started on the front row. Although, he finished tenth in the end, scoring his first point of the season. He showed speed in qualifying, an essential quality for a complete racing driver.
He’s extremely young and talented, and we can expect greatness from him going into the future of motorsport.
Comments