Could We See Oliver Bearman on The Formula 1 Grid in 2025?

Oliver Bearman, a name ringing the bell within the Formula 1 community recently, has set a precedent that he is worthy of a Formula 1 seat. And with the driver market beginning to ramp up for the 2025 Formula 1 season, the 19-year-old driver cannot be missed out of a potential drive in 2025.

Thank you appendicitis?

The Chelmsford driver grew more popular during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend when Carlos Sainz needed emergency surgery for his appendicitis, which left a seat vacant for Ferrari. And on the Saturday beginning of Free Practice 3, Oliver Bearman was drafted in to replace the ill Spaniard for the rest of the weekend.

This meant Bearman was relieved of his duties for the Formula 2 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, as he put his Prema Racing car on the pole for the Formula 2 Sprint Race on Saturday. This sacrifice would put Oliver in a position to showcase his potential if he could manage the SF-24.

And with only one practice session to get to grips with the SF-24, the pressure was on. But the young Brit demonstrated his resolve by going 10th fastest in the final practice. 6 tenths away from his Monegasque team Charles Leclerc, and nearly 9 tenths from Max Verstappen’s leading time of 1:28.412. A strong result for Bearman’s first practice session for Ferrari.

And now the practice is over, so whatever Bearman could extract from the Ferrari in the hour he had would now have to be put to the test for the Qualifying session.

Qualifying 1 and Oliver showed he could match the pace of the front runners, going ninth fastest just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and behind both McLarens of Piastri and Norris. Only eight-tenths away from the fastest time set.

Qualifying 2, however, Bearman was knocked out at the end of the session, setting a 1:28.642, the Chelmsford driver was only 36 hundredths off beating seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton’s lap time and five-tenths off the fastest time set in Q2. Proving Bearman can match drivers of Hamilton’s calibre and remain competitive.

So P11 on the grid, could the Ferrari Academy driver prove he deserves to wear the scarlet red racing suit?

Lights out and away we go…

…and on the first lap, Bearman gets very racey challenging Yuki Tsunoda for P10 but, the Japanese driver was able to keep Ferrari’s reserve driver at bay.

By lap 6, Bearman was mounting a charge to catch Tsunoda, but in front of the fight for 10th, Lance Stroll locks up and goes off straight into the barriers at Turn 22. Promoting Bearman to 10th and deploying the Safety Car.

The Ferrari driver pits and is demoted to 12th hoping his new hard compound tyres will last until the end of the race. Lap 10, Safety Car is in, the race resumes and Bearman makes a move into Turn 1 to take 11th place from Tsunoda, mounting a challenge for the points place. By Lap 21, Bearman had dispatched Zhou Guanyu and took the fight to Hülkenberg for ninth place.

With the help of DRS down the start-finish straight, the young Brit got passed the Haas driver for ninth. In lap 36, Lewis Hamilton stopped for a set of soft tyres as well as Lando Norris, one lap later. Both drivers on the charge to dethrone Bearman of his seventh place. Worried that Norris may catch him, Bearman kept focused with Hamilton and Norris unable to mount any significant pressure on the debut driver.

And in the end, Bearman crossed the line, three seconds clear of Lando Norris to achieve a seventh-place finish for his Formula 1 debut, claiming an impressive six points with Ferrari.

“Emotionally exhausting and physically stressful.”

Bearman described his experience after the race as emotionally exhausting and physically stressful, due to the limited time the debut driver had to prepare, despite all odds, he was happy with the result, nonetheless.

Team Principal, Fred Vassuer commented on Bearman’s performance from Sky Sports F1:

“Yes (he exceeded my expectations)”

However, the Ferrari boss did not stop there as he further clarified:

"It is a fantastic job. It was amazing on the management. The race is one thing, but management. From the beginning of the event, he was very solid."

A result that surely keeps Ferrari’s eyes on the young Brit.

This opportunity that Ferrari offered would not be the only opportunity given to the Prema Racing driver in Formula 1. According to Formula 1, Oliver Bearman will be driving for the Haas team on six occasions this season in the Free Practice sessions.

But what makes this opportunity equally important is for Bearman to showcase even more not only in the Formula 1 practice session but also his Formula 2 career.

The 19-year-old commented on a potential move into Formula 1 2025 stating:

“But just because there is a seat free, it doesn't mean that I'm entitled to it. I still have to go out there and earn it through good performances in F2, but even more so the six FPs that I'm doing. I have to perform well and show that I'm ready to jump into F1 next year.”

The F2 demonstrated he is willing to join Formula 1 if he can perform to the expectations, physically and mentally driving a Formula 1 car.

But Oliver’s development to take a step to Formula 1 would begin his one of six sessions this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, taking the duties from Kevin Magnussen to drive the VF-24 for the first practice session of the weekend.

Bearman’s Friday session at Imola proved to be a busy result. Sadly, crashing at Turn 4 in the Formula 2 practice just hours before stepping into the Haas. But that didn’t shake the 19-year-old from jumping into the Haas for Free Practice 1. Achieving 31 laps, the most a driver had accumulated within the practice session and only one more ahead of pacesetter Charles Leclerc.

Oliver Bearman understands that to get into Formula 1 he would need time to train not only physically but also mentally as he clarified that Formula 1 is not only physically but also mentally exhausting.

But the young Brit is being reasonable as to where his position is in the driver market but understands he’ll need a look at more work to be done to claim a racing seat in Formula 1 in the 2025 season.