Bearman

By the time he was eight years old, Oliver Bearman was already racing karts. Born in Chelmsford, Essex, on May 8, 2005, he grew up in the town and attended King Edward VI Grammar School until he was sixteen, when he left to pursue motorsport full-time. His father, David, is the founder and CEO of the insurance firm Aventum Group, and his mother is Terri. He has a younger brother, Thomas, who also races, and a sister.

Bearman’s karting career began in 2013. He won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in the cadet class in 2017, and two years later took three titles in the IAME X30 Junior category, including the international final. In 2020, he won the X30 Senior Winter Cup. That same year, he moved to single-seaters, racing in both the ADAC and Italian Formula 4 championships with US Racing, taking one win in each series.

By the time he turned seventeen, Bearman had already accomplished what no driver had before: winning both the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championships in the same year. That was 2021, and he did it with Van Amersfoort Racing, taking eleven wins from twenty-one races in Italy and six from eighteen in Germany. A brief stint in GB3 that same season added nine more races to his apprenticeship. The following year he stepped up to FIA Formula 3, finishing third as a rookie—a result that confirmed the promise his junior career had advertised. A move to Formula 2 in 2023 with Prema Racing followed, and though he did not win the title, his performances earned him a role as a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas in 2024. That year he made his unexpected F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, substituting for Carlos Sainz just hours after qualifying. He finished seventh. By 2025, he was a full-time Haas driver, the path cleared by his years of methodical, championship-winning progression.

Oliver Bearman made his Formula 1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, substituting for an ill Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. At 18 years old, he became the youngest driver to race for the Scuderia and the first British driver to debut with the team since Nigel Mansell in 1980. He qualified 11th and finished seventh, scoring six points in a single weekend. That performance cemented his reputation as a reserve driver capable of stepping into a top seat under pressure.

Later in 2024, Bearman drove for Haas F1 Team in several Friday practice sessions and additional race appearances. For the 2025 season, he secured a full-time race seat at Haas, partnering Esteban Ocon. Across 31 career starts with Ferrari and Haas through 2026, he recorded no wins, podiums, poles, or fastest laps. His career statistics reflect a driver in the early phase of a tenure that began with a remarkable debut but has yet to produce a breakthrough result in race trim.

Born in Havering, London and raised in Chelmsford, Essex, Bearman attended King Edward VI Grammar School until the age of 16 before leaving to focus on his racing career. His father, David Bearman, is the founder and CEO of the insurance firm Aventum Group. His mother is Terri Bearman. He has a younger brother, Thomas, who also races, and a sister. At 184 cm tall, Bearman carries the permanent number 87 in Formula One.

Oliver Bearman’s career is still unfolding, and his legacy in Formula 1 remains unwritten. With 31 starts, no wins, podiums, or poles through 2026, his statistical footprint is minimal. Yet his place in the sport’s history is already secured by a singular achievement: in 2021, he became the first driver ever to win both the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championships in the same year, a feat that drew comparisons to the junior dominance of future champions. That double, achieved with 17 wins across 39 races, established him as a standout graduate of Ferrari’s Driver Academy before he turned 18. In F1, his legacy is currently one of potential rather than accomplishment – a driver who reached the grid via the Haas reserve role in 2024, but whose career peak may lie ahead. No records, trophies, or named circuits bear his name. For now, Bearman’s legacy is that of a promising talent who, uniquely, conquered two national F4 titles simultaneously, and whose future will define whether that early promise becomes a footnote or a foundation.