Oliver Bearman, born on 8 May 2005 in Chelmsford, began karting at eight. In 2021 he became the first driver ever to win both the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in the same year, which earned him a place in the Ferrari Driver Academy that November. He carries car number 87 in honour of his father David, himself a racer, who wove his two sons’ birthdays, 8 May and 7 August, into his own race number.
Via Formula 3 (2022, third) and Formula 2 with Prema Racing, Bearman made his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari in March 2024 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, standing in for Carlos Sainz, who was struck down with appendicitis. At 18 years and 306 days he became the youngest ever Ferrari driver and the Scuderia’s first debutant since Arturo Merzario in 1972, racing straight to seventh place and the points.
That same year he also stood in twice for Haas, replacing the banned and later ill Kevin Magnussen, and scored points there too, making him the only driver in history to score points in his first two Formula 1 races for two different teams. He was given a full-time seat at Haas for 2025.
In his first full season, Bearman impressed with fourth place in Mexico, having passed Max Verstappen along the way, and sixth in Brazil ahead of his experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon, with whom he continues to partner at Haas in 2026.
Oliver Bearman in the News