Bearman looks for ‘growth’ in first full F1 campaign

Britain’s Oliver Bearman is aiming for a year of “continuous growth and development” as he prepares for his first full campaign in Formula 1.

Bearman, who will not be 20 until May, signed a multi-year agreement with the US-based Haas team after making his debut as a replacement for Ferrari last year when Carlos Sainz was stricken with appendicitis.

He was the third youngest driver to compete in F1 after Max Verstappen – now a four-time world champion – and Lance Stroll.

And he followed that with a couple of drives for Haas in 2024, picking up another championship point with 10th place in Azerbaijan.

“Haas had a great season last year. They were on a great trajectory, finishing T7 (in the team standings) at the end. That was really unexpected, but a fantastic result for the team,” he told BBC Look East.

“I hope we can continue that trajectory, but it’s tough to say, you know, we haven’t driven the car yet, and we don’t know where we stand compared to the other teams in terms of progress compared to last year.

“So I think my goals are really just looking at myself, looking within, I want to be proud of my performances, see a continuous growth and development though the year and that’s really what I’m focusing on.”

Bearman, who grew up in Chelmsford, has been a fan of motor racing since childhood and took up karting at a young age.

He still has a sense of disbelief that he is now lining up on the grid alongside the likes of Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion.

“I had a taste of it last year, three races, which left me wanting more. And this year I get 24 shots, so I’m really looking forward to it,” he added.

“The first race with Ferrari, I was more nervous than anything. The most difficult day of my life to be thrown into an F1 car, particularly a red one.

“But to then to get another two shots and actually be able to prepare for it, knowing that that would be the car I’m racing next year, which is this year now, was really nice and I was able to take it all in and learn a lot.”

He continued: “It actually turned out that in every race I’ve done I’ve been fighting on track with Lewis so that was really just a dream come true, to race against someone so famous and so talented as well, the best F1 driver we’ve ever had.”

Bearman – who will be one of four Britons on the grid along with Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell, plus Thai-Brit Alex Albon – has been working on his physical conditioning over the winter to ensure he is ready for the rigours of a full year of F1 action.

“I don’t think people quite understand how much goes on in the background; very busy schedules for us with the simulator work that we do, and physical training is really ramping up, I hope you see my neck is looking a bit bigger, but no, it’s really important,” he said.

“Since the beginning, (when) I was six, seven years old, doing 40-odd race weekends a year, now it’s down a bit but now I’m racing worldwide rather than just countrywide so it’s really (been) a big commitment from when I started

“But I was willing to make it for my passion for the sport and I’m willing to continue and hopefully I have a long career ahead.”