Ferrari Academy Driver Oliver Bearman completed his maiden Formula 1 test outing today with Ferrari ahead of making his grand prix weekend debut later this month.
The Briton got behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2021 car, the SF21, at the team’s Fiorano test track, completing over 400km.
Bearman had to complete 300km in order to be eligible to drive at an official round of the F1 World Championship.
“If you think I wasn’t excited, you’d be mistaken,” Bearman said. “I can’t deny that last night I struggled to get to sleep.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day, with my parents on hand and I’m told my mother got quite excited when I drove out of the garage in the Ferrari.
Expanding on the technical aspects of F1 machinery, Bearman added: “The engineers guided me step by step for the first few laps, then as I gained confidence in the car I started to really enjoy it.
“I was prepared for the enormous amount of power on hand, as I had already driven a Formula 1 car on the simulator. But what really surprised me was the level of grip, which is harder to feel sitting in the sim and it’s crazy when compared to the amount you have with the Formula 2 car I’m racing at the moment.
“The other surprising thing is the level of downforce on these cars, it’s just incredible. Thank you to the Scuderia for making me feel part of the group right away and everyone at Ferrari who made this unforgettable day possible.”
It was announced ahead of last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix that Bearman will be conducting appearances in FP1 for the Haas team in this year’s Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Bearman will slot in to fulfil the American side’s obligation under the current sporting regulations to field a driver with two or fewer F1 grand prix starts in two official practice sessions.
He was spotted within Haas’ ranks in team uniform throughout the past race weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix and completed a seat fit in its VF-23 car.
Haas has taken advantage of its close technical collaboration with Ferrari to utilise Bearman’s services, having previously given practice outings to Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman.
Bearman is currently competing in the Formula 2 Championship and has won four races in his debut season to sit seventh overall in the standings with only one round remaining.
Ferrari signed Bearman to its academy ranks in November 2021 after he had won both the Italian F4 Championship and the ADAC F4 Championship that year.
It is widely expected that the 18-year-old will remain in F2 for a second season, most likely with the Prema team he has enjoyed much success with this year.
