Oliver Bearman will be stepping into a full-time F1 seat next year, but his climb up the ranks wasn’t easy — not only on a competitive level but also on a personal level. As the future Haas driver spoke on the High-Performance podcast, he revealed how loneliness made him question his future in motorsports.
Bearman said, “You know loneliness is a real thing in top-level sport. Three or four years ago when I started to race abroad, I left my home, I left my family, I left my friends and I pretty much started fresh.”
“In the beginning, it was really difficult. I had no one out there. My friends and family were back in the UK. At times I was questioning how much I wanted this?”
The Briton explained how the question of sacrifice and being prepared for loneliness kept coming back. He added how the schedule of an F1 driver is super busy and people cannot always be with them or around them.
Bearman further stated that he hadn’t met with his friends from the UK in years. Nonetheless, it was all worth it as he finally got a seat in F1. The Brit was thankful to his younger self for coping with the loneliness and pushing through.
The 19-year-old rose through the ladder and had an impressive record in the feeder series, until the current season in F2. Regardless, the Brit showed signs of a future F1 star.
Is Bearman the F1 star of the future?
Bearman made a sensational debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. He scored points on his debut finishing ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton. That well-grabbed opportunity would open up the gates for Bearman’s future.
Haas was quick on the scene after Bearman impressed in Jeddah and recently confirmed the Prema driver as part of their driver line-up for the 2025 season.
The Haas team principal was asked after the race in Jeddah if Bearman’s debut performance put him on the map for a future seat. As per Formula1.com, he replied, “Yeah, absolutely. Last year when we had him in FP1 sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, straight away it was obvious that he’s a total package. He’s so impressive, so I was very happy that we got him for six FP1s this year. [I’m] very happy for him.”
The Briton has loads of potential and is likely to have a Charles Leclerc-like career. Bearman will be groomed at Haas and may have a place available at Ferrari once Hamilton retires.
