The British driver made his F1 debut with Ferrari at this season’s Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, stepping in for Carlos Sainz.

After months of speculation following an impressive debut in Saudi Arabia, Oliver Bearman has been confirmed as a driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season with Haas.

Bearman stepped into the cockpit of the Ferrari, replacing Carlos Sainz after the Spanish driver pulled out with appendicitis and finished an impressive seventh place. The 19-year-old has signed a ‘multi-year contract’ with Haas and will become the fourth British driver on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris. Alex Albon is also British-born but races under the Thai flag.

Bearman is currently racing in Formula 2 for Prema Racing and recently secured his first win of the season in Austria. He is no stranger to a Haas having joined the team as a reserve driver in January alongside his similar role at Ferrari. Bearman also took part in two FP1 sessions for the American team in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023 and has six FP1 sessions under his belt in 2024.

“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,” said Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1 team. “He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. 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.”

“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 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

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Haas is currently seventh in the Constructors’ Championship while drivers Niko Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are 12th and 16th, respectively.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Scuderia Ferrari