Oliver Bearman says his “long-term dream” is to win Formula 1 races and World Championships with the Ferrari team. The Englishman was announced today as a Haas driver on a “multi-year” deal, having been told on last Sunday in Austrian GP that he has secured the drive.
Bearman has clearly been placed at Ferrari by Fred Vasseur in order to undergo an apprenticeship until a seat at the works team potentially becomes available.
“Of course, my long-term dream remains the same,” he said. “I want to be successful in F1. I want to win races and championships. And with the support and loyalty that Ferrari have shown to me, it is only right that I would want to do that with Ferrari.
“And it’s every boy’s dream. Making my debut with them, of course, made that even stronger. But by the same token, I’m also looking at this short-term, medium-term future. My short term is finishing F2, and looking towards next year with Haas, and I’m really excited for that as well.”
Bearman has endured a difficult second season at Prema alongside Kimi Antonelli. However, a win in sprint race at the Red Bull Ring provided a useful boost.
“I think it couldn’t have come at a better time, honestly,” he said of that success. “It is continuing to be a difficult season in F2, because even on Sunday, I had an engine failure.
“So it felt like all that hard work was almost down the drain. It came at a really good time, a really important time. Not only for my prospects with F1, but also for the team. Because in F2, we needed a good result to bolster the motivation of everyone, and that really helped us out.”
Bearman acknowledged that given his difficult F2 season, his Saudi race appearance and FP1 running for Haas has made a big difference.
“I do feel like the F1 running carried a lot of weight,” he says. “Of course, the race in Saudi, first of all. But even in my few practices and all my testing, it’s always been going pretty well.
“And I think for the people that mattered, it also carried a bit more weight. But yeah, there’s no way of hiding behind the fact that in F2, it continues to be a little bit difficult. And that always leaves a bit of a question mark in the back of your mind.”
He added: “I think the Saudi performance was really the stars aligning moment that made my step into F1 possible. Because I think without that, it would really have been difficult, especially with how it’s going at the moment.
“So that really, really helped me, and also for my own confidence. Because you never really know how you’re going to perform until you race against real F1 drivers. And that was my opportunity, and I feel like I did a decent job.”
Bearman played down any expectations that Ferrari might have for him in 2025.
“Honestly, I have to sit down with everyone from Ferrari and see exactly what they need,” says Bearman.
“But I don’t think their expectation will be any more difficult than mine because I’m already hard enough on myself. I demand a high level of performance for myself in the beginning. So I don’t need any more motivation or pressure.”
Bearman has been used to winning races on his way through the ranks and he acknowledged that his F2 struggles will help prepare him for battling in the midfield with Haas in 2025.
“It’s tough to make any expectations about where we will be next year,” he said. “But I think on a good day this year, we’ve shown in Austria that both cars can be in the points – I’m talking about Haas. So points are definitely on offer if everything goes correctly.
“And F1 is very tight at the moment. It shows that you need to be on the top of your game all the time. You can’t have any days off. It’s so tight. I mean, Q1 was split by less than a second in Austria.
“So now more than ever, it’s really, really tight. And I think the struggles I would say that we’re facing in F2 are preparing me well to adjust my expectations slightly for what’s to come.”
