Being an aspiring British driver, Oliver Bearman would have naturally idolized Lewis Hamilton during his formative years as a racer. Even Hamilton has followed Bearman’s junior career and thus they share a deeper connection. When the Ferrari prodigy made his F1 debut in Jeddah this year, the seven-time champion was one of the first to congratulate him after the race. So, it was expected that Bearman also felt emotional about Hamilton’s 2024 British GP win.
“It was a really emotional moment because you could see how much it meant to him. Everything that Lewis has been through over the years, it must’ve been so difficult. He must have been going through a lot on the mental side”, said Bearman in a reel uploaded by @highperformance on Instagram.
Ollie on Lewis’ win: “It was a really emotional moment because you could see how much it meant to him, and you know everything that Lewis has been through over the years, it must have been so difficult and he must have been going through a lot on the mental side. 1/2#BritishGP pic.twitter.com/MGnpOWZrum
— Sir Lewis Updates (@LH44updates) July 17, 2024
Explaining how seeing Hamilton win after the hardship inspires him, Bearman added, “I can’t even Imagine how difficult it must’ve been at times. That also gives me a lot of inspiration because no one’s had it as difficult as Lewis in the past 2 or 3 years.”
Bearman was grateful about getting the opportunity to share the grid with the likes of Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian GP. Courtesy of that race, the 19-year-old has now earned a full-time seat at Haas in 2025. All the British drivers including Lando Norris, George Russell, and Hamilton spoke highly of Bearman after his one-off appearance in Jeddah.
Given how Hamilton inspired Bearman, it would be a massive achievement for the Ferrari prodigy to emulate his countryman’s achievements. Many expect Bearman to fill in Hamilton’s shoes once the latter decides to retire.
Bearman sets his sights on ultimately replacing Hamilton at Ferrari
Bearman’s performance at the Saudi Arabian GP surprised everyone, as the F2 driver finished in P7 ahead of Hamilton and Norris and did not crack under pressure from behind. This showing put him at the top of Haas’ priority list for their 2025 driver lineup.
Bearman would look to polish his skills at Haas before finally making the big Ferrari step up as Leclerc did at Sauber. From experts to drivers, everyone highly rates the British prodigy and so does the Italian outfit. However, with Hamilton signing a multi-year deal from 2025 onwards, Ferrari will have to keep their Academy driver at Haas for the time being.
When Bearman was asked if he sees himself in Hamilton’s seat in the future, Planet F1 quoted him as saying, “I hope so. I mean, that would be the dream, right? It’s not really in my hands. I feel like but all I can do is perform my best, and that’s my goal”.
When further pushed for an answer he added, “It is hard not to think that, but I am not thinking about it”. Bearman has shown that he has all the skills to become a top team driver. It’s about biding his time and learning as much as he can before the Ferrari opportunity comes up.
