Oliver Bearman Bio
Oliver James Bearman is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas. Born in Havering, London, and raised in nearby Chelmsford, Bearman is widely regarded as one of the most promising talents of his generation. He drives the No. 87 car and is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, giving him a direct technical link to the Haas team’s power unit supplier.
After dominating junior single-seater categories in Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2, Bearman made a surprise Formula One debut with Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That performance accelerated his path to a full-time seat with Haas beginning in 2025, where he is contracted through at least the end of the 2026 season.
Early Life and Background
Oliver James Bearman was born on 8 May 2005 in Havering, London, to David and Terri Bearman. He has 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 grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, where he attended King Edward VI Grammar School. He left school at the age of 16 to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in Modena, Italy, a step that signaled his commitment to a professional racing career at a very young age.
He began competitive karting at the age of seven, racing at the Trent Valley Kart Club before moving up to the Super 1 National Championships. Bearman won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in 2017 and finished his karting career strongly in 2019 with victories in the IAME International Final, IAME Euro Series, and IAME Winter Cup. He also won the IAME Winter Cup and Euro Series in the X30 Senior Category in 2020.
Path to NASCAR
Bearman has not competed in NASCAR. His professional career has been built entirely within the FIA single-seater ladder, from Formula 4 through Formula 2 and into Formula One.
Oliver Bearman Career
Early Career (2020–2021)
Bearman made his single-seater debut in 2020 in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship with US Racing, also contesting three rounds of Italian F4. He scored his first victory at the Hockenheimring and added two further podiums to finish seventh in the German standings with 144 points. In his partial Italian F4 campaign, he claimed a race win at Vallelunga and ended the year tenth overall.
For 2021, Bearman switched to Van Amersfoort Racing and doubled up in both the ADAC and Italian F4 Championships. He dominated the Italian series with eleven wins, fifteen podiums, and 343 points to clinch the title at Mugello. He then added the ADAC F4 crown with six wins, eleven podiums, and 295 points, becoming the first driver to win two Formula 4 titles in a single year. As a reward, he was awarded 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. He opened the season by winning in Bahrain before receiving a track-limits penalty, and he added consistent points finishes throughout the year.
He gained momentum across the middle of the season with podiums at Silverstone, Austria, and Hungary, before taking his first official victory in the wet sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps. Bearman ended his rookie campaign third in the standings with 132 points, seven behind champion Victor Martins.
FIA Formula 2 Breakthrough (2023–2024)
In 2023, Bearman moved to FIA Formula 2 with Prema Racing. He took his first victory in the Baku sprint race, then completed a feature-race double the next day to become only the fourth rookie in history to win both races of a Formula 2 weekend. He added further wins in Barcelona and Monza to finish the year sixth in the championship with 130 points.
Bearman remained at Prema for 2024. After being called up to replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he missed the Jeddah F2 round. He later won sprint races in Austria, Monza, and Qatar, finishing 12th in the standings with 75 points despite entering the year as a title favorite.
Formula One Debut with Ferrari (2024)
Bearman was announced as a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas in January 2024. After Carlos Sainz Jr. withdrew with appendicitis, Bearman was called up to drive the Ferrari SF-24 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest-ever driver to compete for Ferrari at 18 years old.
He qualified eleventh and finished seventh, holding off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps to score points on debut. He was later voted Driver of the Day by fans. Bearman also 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 again replaced Magnussen at the São Paulo Grand Prix due to illness.
Haas Era (2025–Present)
In July 2024, Haas announced that Bearman had signed a multi-year contract beginning in 2025, partnering former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. He drives the No. 87 Haas VF-25, powered by a Ferrari engine.
His 2025 season started with a difficult Australian Grand Prix, where he crashed in practice and started from the pit lane before finishing fourteenth. He bounced back with eighth at the Chinese Grand Prix for his first points with Haas, and added further points finishes in Japan and Bahrain. His standout result came at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he finished fourth, the joint-highest finish by a Haas driver since the team’s 2016 debut. He backed that up with sixth at the São Paulo Grand Prix, setting a new record of four consecutive points finishes for any Haas driver.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bearman is known for his calm temperament under pressure, smooth racecraft, and ability to extract performance on his out-laps. His Formula 2 record of winning both races of a weekend and his composure on debut in Saudi Arabia highlight a driver who manages tires and strategy effectively while remaining composed in wheel-to-wheel combat.
Notable Races and Milestones
Key milestones include becoming the youngest driver to score points on Formula One debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the first driver to score for two different teams in his first two races, and the joint-highest Haas finisher at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix. Earlier, he became the fourth rookie in Formula 2 history to complete a feature-race double at Baku in 2023.
Oliver Bearman Career Wins
Bearman has built a strong junior career record with major titles in Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2, alongside points-scoring Formula One finishes for Ferrari and Haas.
Formula One Highlights
Bearman has scored Formula One points with Ferrari and Haas. His maiden points came at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh on debut. In 2025, he has added multiple points finishes with Haas, highlighted by fourth place at the Mexico City Grand Prix and sixth at the São Paulo Grand Prix, a streak that set a new Haas record for consecutive points-scoring races.
Other Wins and Performances
Bearman won both the 2021 Italian F4 Championship and the ADAC F4 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. He finished third overall in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema, and ended the 2023 FIA Formula 2 season sixth with four race wins. He also won three sprint races during his 2024 Formula 2 campaign.
Oliver Bearman Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Bearman was born to David and Terri Bearman. His father is the founder and chief executive officer of the insurance firm Aventum Group. His younger brother, Thomas Bearman, is also a racing driver, continuing the family’s involvement in motorsport.
Personal Life
Bearman is British and grew up in Chelmsford, Essex. He chose the racing number 87 because it was the number he first used in karting. He left school at 16 to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in Modena, Italy, where he has been based as he developed his professional racing career.
2025 Season Performance
Bearman’s 2025 rookie season with Haas began with frustration in Australia, where a practice crash and a gearbox issue limited him to fourteenth. He recovered with his first points for the team at the Chinese Grand Prix and added consistent top-ten finishes in Japan and Bahrain, gradually building confidence in the VF-25.
Mid-season form was mixed, with several finishes outside the points after penalties and incidents, including a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr. at the Italian Grand Prix that pushed his penalty points total close to a race-ban threshold. Bearman responded strongly in the final stretch, finishing fourth in Mexico City for the joint-best Haas result since 2016, then sixth in São Paulo to set a new team record of four consecutive points finishes.
Entering the closing rounds of 2025, Bearman is establishing himself as a reliable midfield scorer alongside teammate Esteban Ocon. With a contract in place through at least the end of 2026 and continued support from the Ferrari Driver Academy, his long-term outlook remains firmly pointed toward the front of the Formula One grid.