Kannapolis (USA), Jul 4 (IANS): Haas Formula 1 team have signed British teenager Ollie Bearman on a multi-year deal, confirming him a driving seat from the 2025 season.
The 19-year-old Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member is currently an official reserve driver for the team while contesting the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Prema Racing – Bearman collecting his first win of the 2024 campaign last weekend in Austria in the Sprint race to add to his tally of four victories from a stellar rookie season in 2023.
Bearman, in his additional role as reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, made a memorable Formula 1 debut back in March in Saudi Arabia substituting for the sidelined Carlos Sainz – in doing so becoming the third-youngest racer in Formula 1 history. A mature performance from the then 18-year-old from Chelmsford saw Bearman classified seventh and firmly in the points on his one-off race appearance behind the wheel of the SF-24.
He participated in two FP1 sessions for the Kannapolis outfit in 2023, in Mexico and Abu Dhabi respectively, followed by a full-day in the VF-23 at the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi. Announced as an official reserve driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in January of this year, Bearman’s work with the team this season includes six FP1 sessions, with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend marking his third appearance in the VF-24 with Hungary, Mexico and Abu Dhabi to follow.
"It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me," said Bearman. "To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud. To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene (Haas, team owner), Ayao (Komatsu, Haas Team Principal) and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team.
"I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone since the first time we met in Mexico and I can’t wait to enjoy this moment with them and hopefully many more in the future," he added.
Haas Team Principal Komatsu said, "It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1. We're looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car."
"Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned," he added.