On Thursday, Prema Racing’s Ollie Bearman was basking in the delight of his fourth pole position in Formula 2. The Ferrari junior has hopes of winning the championship this year, despite a difficult opening round in Bahrain. On Friday afternoon, however, Bearman’s attentions were focused on an entirely different objective: to deputise for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But how did he reach this point? Feeder Series analyses.  

By Martin Lloyd

Bearman has shown promise for many a year. As early as 2016, he regularly challenged for British karting titles, winning a total of five championships before moving onto car racing full-time in 2020. With three titles in 2019 alone, he was most often spotted at the front of the field, and this trend has continued to the highest level of junior single-seater racing. With four wins in his debut F2 season in 2023, Bearman marked himself out as a contender for the 2024 championship. 

The Brit made his debut in cars in 2020 while still competing in karting. He made a full-time entry into ADAC F4, finishing a respectable seventh and achieving three podiums including one win with US Racing. He also raced in three rounds of Italian F4 during this season. Even though he only raced in three rounds, Bearman scored two podiums including a victory at Vallelunga, finishing 10^th in the overall standings. 

For 2021, Bearman competed in the same two championships, this time with Van Amersfoort Racing. He utterly dominated Italian F4, winning the title by a colossal 111 points over current F3 rookie Tim Tramnitz. The battle with Tramnitz was closer in ADAC F4, with the championship going down to the final round at the Nürburgring, but Bearman still triumphed by 26 points over his German rival. 

After his double success, Bearman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. Since then, the starlet has taken part in four F1 runs. Two were practice sessions with Haas, where he widely impressed the F1 paddock by finishing just three tenths away from teammate Nico Hulkenberg at his debut in Mexico. After these 2023 sessions, he was made a Ferrari reserve driver, but would not have anticipated a near-immediate Grand Prix opportunity. 

To become an official reserve, the Chelmsford teenager enjoyed two stellar campaigns in the F1 support paddock. First, he was signed by Prema to drive for their Formula 3 squad in 2022. While the championship would go to Victor Martins, Bearman finished just seven points behind the Frenchman in his debut year. A second-place on debut in Bahrain was a statement of intent, and he was to score seven further podiums on his way to third place in the final standings. After finishing ahead of both his teammates and helping to propel Prema to the teams’ championship, Bearman was promoted to Formula 2. 

2023 was an inconsistent but successful year for Bearman. Again, he would finish just behind Martins with a sixth-place finish. While he would have wanted a higher championship finish, several stellar results meant that Bearman became a title favourite for 2024. These included a vanishingly rare double win at Baku – a feat only achieved on two other occasions since Formula 2 replaced GP2.

Alongside the talented rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Bearman is now the team leader. Even if the opening round in Bahrain was uncharacteristically difficult for Prema, both Bearman and Antonelli’s pace has improved in Saudi Arabia. 

Bearman took pole position on Thursday, and was well-placed for a strong result before his sudden promotion to F1. With a full-time F1 seat widely expected for 2025, Bearman now has an opportunity to prove that he belongs at the top level. 

Bearman is the first F1 driver to debut with Ferrari since Arturo Merzario in 1972. With this mantle, and as the sport’s third-youngest debutant, there is pressure on him to succeed. 

Nevertheless, Bearman’s huge success in each year of his career would not have been possible if he wilted under pressure. This is one of the most talented junior single-seater drivers to emerge from the ladder for many years. Oliver Bearman’s career has proven a simple fact: even when there is pressure, even at the highest level, he will thrive upon it.   

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency