An aspiring Formula 1 driver could ask for no better debut than a last-minute call-up by Scuderia Ferrari — a call-up that results in a record-breaking finish lauded by your peers. And yet, that's exactly what happened to Briton Oliver Bearman.

Born in Havering, London on 8 May, 2005, Bearman will make his full-time debut with the Haas Formula 1 team in 2025 having already made three starts and earned seven total points.

A phenom in the karting world, Bearman had a strong 2021 that saw him win two championships, take home the Henry Surtees Award for the most outstanding performance by a rising motorsport star, and earn a slot at the competitive Ferrari Driver Academy.

He progressed to Formula 3 and was shortly after deputized as reserve driver for both Haas and Ferrari — a role that saw him tagged in three different times in 2024 to substitute for the outfits' full-time drivers.

Boasting the No. 87, 19-year-old Bearman will kick off his F1 career on a full-time basis at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.

Carriera

Of the young drivers hitting the Formula 1 grid in 2025, Bearman is one the most experienced in terms of actual competition.

As reserve driver for Haas and Ferrari in 2024, Bearman was called into action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. withdrew from the event with appendicitis after FP2. In a very impressive debut, Bearman qualified 11th and finished seventh — becoming the youngest driver to score points on debut in F1.

In July, Haas announced that it would snatch Bearman up to join its 2025 lineup.

Bearman was called into action twice more in 2024, both times to replace Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

In Azerbaijan, Magnussen was hit with a one-race ban after exceeding the number of allowable penalty points. Again, Bearman qualified 11th; this time he finished in 10th place, which was worth one point and also meant he beat out teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Later, in São Paulo, Magnussen withdrew from the race as a result of an illness. That weekend saw him take on his first sprint race, where he started 10th and finished 14th, ahead of Hulkenberg both times. In the race itself, however, Bearman was caught out by wet conditions. He started 16th and finished 12th.

Bearman has also had a handful of outings as a test driver during FP1 sessions, including the 2023 Mexico City and Abu Dhabi events with Haas, the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix with Ferrari, and several 2024 events with Haas: In Imola, Spain, Silverstone, and Hungary.

Storia

Oliver Bearman got his start in karting in 2013, when he was around eight years old. He eased in through the Trent Valley Kart Club in England before moving up to the Super 1 National Championships, where he took second in both 2016 and 2017 in the Cadet class.

A slew of impressing karting victories followed, including the 2017 Kartmasters British Grand Prix championship in a Cadet, followed by the 2019 IAME Winter Cup, Euro Series, and International Final in the X30 Junior class. With a win at the IAME Winter Cup in X30 Senior, Bearman proved he was ready for his professional single-seater debut.

In 2020, with US Racing, he competed in both ADAC Formula 4 and the Italian F4 championship; it was a slow start, but the when he continued in both series for another year in 2021 as a Van Amersfoort Racing driver, Bearman took both championships.

At the close of 2021, Bearman was ready to commit to his career; at just 16, he was named a finalist for the Ferrari Driver Academy's Scouting World Final and, at the end of the month, was signed to the outfit. At just 16 years of age, he left his life in England behind to make the move to Italy.

He got his start in the GB3 Championship that same year, 2021, before moving on to contest the Formula Regional Asian Championship and FIA Formula 3 the following year, both with Prema. In the latter, Bearman took one win to finish third overall in the championship.

Though his two stints with Prema — in 2023 and 2024 — netted him a total of seven wins, the level of competition in those championships saw Bearman finish sixth and 12th, respectively. His eyes, though, were on a much bigger prize, earning him the reserve driver role at both Haas and Ferrari.

That role came with plenty of outings behind the wheel of Formula 1 machinery in free practice and other test sessions, as well as the aforementioned three starts in 2024.

Though the details of Oliver Bearman's net worth and Haas contract are currently unclear, Companies House records indicate that OBR Management Ltd — a company created to manage Bearman's racing funds — had assets of £302,263 and outstanding income to the tune of £774,730 during its last filing in June of 2023.

Bearman is supported by Aventum, his father's insurance company, as well as Eurospares and Deus X.

Oliver Bearman's parents are David and Terri Bearman; David is the founder and CEO of Aventum group, an insurance company. His younger brother, Thomas Bearman, is also an aspiring racing driver, while his younger sister has chosen to remain private.

Bearman is currently single, having separated from his girlfriend Estelle Ogilvy in late 2024. Ogilvy is a law student and influencer.