Oliver Bearman Bio
Oliver James Bearman, born on 8 May 2005 in Havering, London, is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas. Raised in Chelmsford, Essex, Bearman progressed through karting and junior single-seater categories before reaching the top tier of motorsport as a teenager. He is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and carries the permanent racing number 87, a number he first used during his karting days.
After standout seasons in Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2, Bearman made his Formula One debut with Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, scoring points on his first outing. He joined Haas as a full-time Formula One driver in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon and is contracted to remain with the American team through at least the end of the 2026 season.
Early Life and Background
Oliver James Bearman was born on 8 May 2005 to David and Terri Bearman in Havering, London. He grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, with a younger brother, Thomas, who is also a racing driver, as well as a sister. His father, David Bearman, is the founder and chief executive officer of the insurance firm Aventum Group.
Bearman attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, but left his studies at the age of 16 to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in Modena, Italy. He chose 87 as his permanent racing number in Formula One because it was the number he first used during his karting career, tying his present-day identity to his earliest days in motorsport.
From an early age, Bearman showed a strong interest in racing, eventually beginning competitive karting at the age of seven. His family supported his development through national and continental karting championships, laying the foundation for a rapid climb through the motorsport ladder.
Path to NASCAR
Oliver Bearman is a Formula One driver whose career has unfolded entirely within the single-seater ladder of European and world championship motorsport. He has not competed in any NASCAR national series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and there are no verified records connecting him to stock car racing in North America.
Oliver Bearman Career
Early Career (2013-2020)
Bearman started competitive karting in 2013 at the Trent Valley Kart Club before moving on to the Super 1 National Championships, where he achieved a best result of second in the Cadet category in both 2016 and 2017. In 2017, he won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix, signaling his arrival as one of Britain’s top young karting talents.
He closed his karting career strongly in 2019 and 2020, winning the IAME International Final, the IAME Euro Series, the IAME Winter Cup, and the X30 Senior titles. These continental victories earned him recognition as a future single-seater prospect and opened the door to a Formula 4 drive with US Racing in 2020.
FIA Formula 4 Breakthrough (2020-2021)
In 2020, Bearman made his single-seater debut in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship with US Racing, taking his first win at the Hockenheimring and finishing seventh overall as the third-best rookie. He also contested three rounds of the Italian F4 Championship, taking a win at Vallelunga.
For 2021, Bearman switched to Van Amersfoort Racing and dominated both the Italian F4 Championship and the ADAC F4 Championship. In Italy, he racked up eleven wins and fifteen podiums to take the title with 343 points, 111 clear of his nearest rival. In the German series, he added six wins and eleven podiums to become the first driver to win two Formula 4 titles in a single year. His performances earned him a nomination for the Autosport BRDC Award and the Henry Surtees Award in December 2021.
FIA Formula 3 Breakthrough (2022)
Bearman stepped up to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2022 with Prema Racing, finishing on the podium eight times and taking his maiden series victory at Spa-Francorchamps in a rain-affected sprint race. He ended his rookie campaign third in the drivers’ standings with 132 points, just seven points behind champion Victor Martins.
FIA Formula 2 Breakthrough (2023-2024)
Bearman graduated to FIA Formula 2 in 2023 with Prema, racing alongside Frederik Vesti. He took four wins, including a dramatic double in Baku that made him only the ninth driver in GP2 and Formula 2 history to win both the sprint and feature races in the same weekend. He ended his rookie F2 season sixth overall with 130 points.
He remained with Prema for 2024 and added three more sprint victories at the Red Bull Ring, Monza, and the Lusail Circuit in Qatar. Despite entering the year as a title favourite, he finished 12th in the standings with 75 points due to mechanical issues and disrupted weekends caused by his Formula One call-ups.
Formula One Debut (2024)
Bearman made his Formula One debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari after the Spaniard withdrew with appendicitis. At 18 years old, he became the youngest driver ever to race for Ferrari, qualified eleventh, and held off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to finish seventh, earning Driver of the Day honors.
He later deputised for the banned Kevin Magnussen at Haas in Azerbaijan, finishing tenth to become the first driver in Formula One history to score points for two different teams in his first two races. He substituted again for an ill Magnussen at the São Paulo Grand Prix, qualifying tenth for the sprint. In July 2024, Haas announced that Bearman had signed a multi-year deal to race for the team from 2025 onward.
Haas Era (2025-Present)
Bearman began his first full Formula One campaign with Haas in 2025, partnered by former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. After a difficult Australian Grand Prix where he crashed in practice and was hampered by a gearbox issue, he rebounded with his first points for Haas at the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing eighth after disqualifications for both Ferrari drivers.
He added further points with tenth-place finishes in Japan and Bahrain, scored seventh in the Belgium sprint, and recovered to sixth at the Dutch Grand Prix after starting from the pit lane. A strong run of results included a fourth-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, the joint-highest result by a Haas driver since the team’s 2016 debut, and a sixth-place result at the São Paulo Grand Prix that set a new Haas record of four consecutive points-scoring races. He closed the year with tenth at Las Vegas following the disqualification of both McLaren drivers.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bearman has shown composure well beyond his years, particularly during his Ferrari debut under pressure and during his recovery drives with Haas. He is regarded as strong in wheel-to-wheel combat, with a calm approach to tyre management and strategic pit windows. His partnership with the Haas engineering group has helped him translate his junior-category race craft into consistent Formula One results.
Notable Races and Milestones
His maiden Formula One points in Saudi Arabia, his historic double-points debut across Ferrari and Haas, and his record-breaking streak of consecutive points finishes at Haas in 2025 stand out as signature moments. Earlier highlights include his Baku F2 double, his 2021 Italian and ADAC F4 title sweeps, and his dominant 2019 and 2020 karting campaigns.
Oliver Bearman Career Wins
Across karting, junior formulae, and Formula One, Oliver Bearman has built a résumé of titles and race victories that propelled him into a full-time Formula One seat with Haas by the age of 19.
Formula One Highlights
Bearman scored his first Formula One points on debut with Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing seventh from eleventh on the grid. During his 2025 rookie season with Haas, his most notable results included fourth place at the Mexico City Grand Prix, sixth at the Dutch Grand Prix, and sixth at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he set a new team record of four consecutive points-scoring finishes.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside Formula One, Bearman claimed the 2021 Italian F4 and ADAC F4 titles in the same year with Van Amersfoort Racing. He took four wins in his 2023 FIA Formula 2 rookie season with Prema and added three more F2 victories in 2024. In FIA Formula 3, he won once and finished third overall in 2022, while in karting he captured multiple IAME titles including the 2019 IAME International Final and 2020 X30 Senior crowns.
Oliver Bearman Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Bearman was raised in a supportive family in Chelmsford, Essex. His younger brother, Thomas Bearman, is also a racing driver, continuing the family’s ties to motorsport. His father, David Bearman, is the founder and chief executive officer of the insurance firm Aventum Group.
Personal Life
Bearman left school at 16 to relocate to Modena, Italy, in order to join the Ferrari Driver Academy, a move that shaped his early professional life. Outside of racing, he has participated in karting events such as a 2025 track-record run in Varberg, Sweden, reflecting his continued love for the discipline that launched his career.
2025 Season Performance
Bearman’s first full Formula One season with Haas began with disappointment in Australia, where practice crashes and a gearbox issue left him classified fourteenth. He quickly found form, however, taking eighth in China for his first Haas points and adding tenth-place finishes in Japan and Bahrain, the latter achieved after qualifying last on the grid.
The middle of the season brought a series of solid points-paying results in Canada, Austria, Britain, and Belgium, along with a seventh-place finish in the Belgium sprint. Penalties and incidents in Monaco, Spain, and Italy tested his consistency, while a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr. at Monza pushed his penalty points total close to a race-ban threshold.
Bearman closed the year on a high note with fourth at the Mexico City Grand Prix, the joint-best result by a Haas driver since 2016, and sixth at the São Paulo Grand Prix to set a new team record of four consecutive points finishes. Tenth place at Las Vegas after both McLaren cars were disqualified extended that streak to five, underlining his growing role as a core part of Haas’s long-term plan alongside Esteban Ocon.
