When Oliver Bearman finished his debut F1 race in P7, Lewis Hamilton was the first to congratulate him. It was a memorable moment for the now 19-year-old, who also revealed that Hamilton had once reached out to him when he was in karting.
Hamilton had a friend relay a message to Berman after the latter won the British Karting Championship in 2016. On the High Performance Podcast, Bearman said,
“He’d [Hamilton] had sent me a message and say congratulations and keep pushing and stuff like that.”
Lewis Hamilton congratulating Ollie Bearman on his mega debut
pic.twitter.com/bfVgO9iHq1— Stefanie (@fastpitstop) March 9, 2024
Bearman added that he had only recently received the message, likely on account of his signing with Haas for the 2025 season.
Hamilton left his message for Berman almost a decade ago, and things have changed a lot since then. Next year, they will share the grid, and be under the Ferrari umbrella, together.
Hamilton will be joining Ferrari and Bearman – as a junior for the Maranello-based team – will maintain close ties to him.
When Hamilton and Bearman first met on the F1 track in Jeddah
Bearman got the opportunity to make his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP earlier this year because Carlos Sainz got appendicitis. Bearman, as a rookie, was tasked with driving the Ferrari and competing alongside seasoned stars.
In a stellar performance on the back of less than two full practice sessions, Bearman finished P7, earning his first F1 points. He also made the most overtakes of any driver in Jeddah that day, and finished ahead of Hamilton in the race.
#SaudiArabianGP | Lewis Hamilton on waiting for Ollie Bearman to congratulate him via CANAL+:
“It’s respect between drivers. I remember what happened when I arrived in F1, I didn’t necessarily feel welcomed by people, so I wanted to make sure I showed him my gratitude.”… pic.twitter.com/fJgbTLphfw
— Deni (@fiagirly) March 9, 2024
Multiple F1 teams took notice of the same, which convinced them to scramble for his signature, despite his F2 season not getting off to a very good start. In the end, Haas – presumably because of its ties to Ferrari – got Bearman on board. He will partner up with Esteban Ocon at the Kannapolis-based outfit next year.
