Oliver Bearman has spent two years in F2 and proven his mettle of being a potent racer with multiple race wins and podiums. But the 19-year-old’s sophomore F2 season took a turn for the worse due to various reasons, and he was out of the title fight. Despite that, Bearman landed an F1 seat at Haas, that too, on a multi-year contract.
The British prodigy feels that he is much more suited to the premier category than junior formulas. He reflected on his contrasting experiences in F2 and F1 in 2024 in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “In F1 I feel more natural, I tend to find the limit quicker than in F2”, Bearman said.
“When I get behind the wheel of an F1 [car] I feel ‘at home’ because I think my driving style is much more suited to this type of single-seater. My way of attacking the apex pays off more in terms of lap time in the top series than in Formula 2,” he added.
Bearman‘s 2024 F2 campaign was a massive step back as he finished only P12 relative to his sixth-place finish in his rookie year in the category. Winning a race less than his tally of four wins in 2023, the 19-year-old only scored three podiums in total with no poles or fastest laps.
Red flag
Ollie Bearman hits the tyre barrier coming out turn 3. He’s out of the car and all ok which is most important
The session will not be resumed#F2 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/dh7uycEYKD
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 17, 2024
However, Bearman impressed everyone with his substitute performances in F1 for Ferrari and Haas. Jumping into Carlos Sainz’s car in Jeddah, the Briton scored points on his Grand Prix debut, finishing P7. He also subbed in for Kevin Magnussen in Baku later in the season, scoring another point for Haas.
Bearman’s racecraft and adaptability to deliver such results turned a lot of heads in the paddock. It underscores his viewpoint that he can eke out more performance from an F1 car than F2. Still, the 19-year-old cannot rest easy on his past laurels when he makes his full-time F1 debut in 2025.
Bearman has a lot to learn and adapt to
Racing in an F1 car for a single race weekend is manageable. But doing a full season with a grueling 24-race calendar could be quite challenging for a young driver who is not used to the level of physical stress an F1 driver’s body goes through.
Bearman has opened up about adjusting to the physicality of driving F1 cars as he did struggle a bit during his appearances in Jeddah. The neck takes the major brunt of the high G-forces and the young Briton felt that pain in the aftermath of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“The neck was completely destroyed. I had a headache from how hard I was hitting the headrest in the race,” he said. On top of that, Bearman also understood the minute details of an F1 car relative to the F2 machinery. He was struggling to find the clutch bite point to have a good race start but somehow managed to find it when the lights went out in Jeddah.
Bearman will have to be patient to learn all these on-track nuances of the sport and adapt to them to start delivering his best for Haas. Moreover, the off-track promotional commitments and exposure to the media will also take a toll on his mind, something he will need to prepare well for.
