“I Knew the Targets Were on Me”: Ollie Bearman Was Prepared to Face Hostility in F2 After F1 Debut

Oliver Bearman made a fantastic debut in F1 with Ferrari this season after he stepped in for Carlos Sainz and scored six points by finishing seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Since he was so impressive on his debut, he knew that he would be the target when he returned to F2.

He made this statement to Tom Clarkson in his recent appearance on the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast.  When asked how hard it is to go back to F2 after competing in F1, Bearman replied, “I knew the targets were on me“.

Soon after the revelation, Clarkson couldn’t help but ask the 19-year-old to elaborate. Bearman added,

“It was tough, you know, to get in F1, to be up there with the huge names that you’ve been watching as a kid. Going back to F2 is tough, but also it was even more motivating because I wanted to get back in F1.”

Clarkson then asked Bearman when the offers started coming in for him to compete in F1 as a full-time driver in 2025. This is when the British driver revealed he was already in talks about a permanent seat before Jeddah.

However, his performances rapidly accelerated these talks, and rightly so. In fact, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu was hugely impressed after his performance and decided to eventually sign him for 2025. The Briton will now drive alongside Esteban Ocon in 2025.

It will not be easy for Bearman to match Ocon, who is a hugely talented and experienced F1 driver. While the young Briton will most likely learn a lot from the Frenchman, going up against him will also test the current Prema Racing driver’s psyche.

After all, Ocon is a very hard racer and has often had tumultuous relationships with his past teammates. Hence, it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops in the upcoming season.