FORMULA ONE PRODIGY OLIVER BEARMAN FAILED DRIVING TEST
He will be driving a Formula One car this season at speeds in excess of 200mph, but British teenager Oliver Bearman has revealed that he failed his driving test after “failing to stop at a stop sign”.
The Haas driver, 19, made the admission ahead of Tuesday night’s live F1 launch at London’s O2 Arena.
Asked about fellow F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old Italian, who has just passed his driving test six months after being confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes this season, Bearman joked that he was a “veteran” by comparison after failing first time around.
“Luckily I passed a few years ago, since you can pass it at 17 here rather than 18 like in Italy,” Bearman said. “But I did pass second time.” He then paused and added: “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
Pressed on why he had failed, Bearman laughed and said: “I didn’t stop at a stop sign. But I didn’t burn [through] it. I slowed down. I was crawling. But [yes], you’re meant to stop.
“We don’t have those on race tracks so that was my first sighting of a stop sign. But typical me, or typical probable racing driver, I thought I could pass my test without any lessons. So that’s probably where I went wrong. So I took a few lessons before the second one. But yes, I’ve been driving since 2022 now, so very experienced driver here.”
Bearman added that he used to own a BMW 1 Series but now drove an Alfa Romeo Tonale company car.
Bearman, who is part of the Ferrari driver academy, first came to prominence last season when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz at the 11th hour in Saudi Arabia after the Spaniard went down with appendicitis. Bearman finished seventh, becoming simultaneously the youngest Briton ever to race in F1 and the youngest driver of any nationality to score points on debut.
He will be one of five British drivers on the grid this year alongside Hamilton (Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes) and British-Thai driver Alex Albon (Williams).
Despite having raced three times last year, once for Ferrari and twice for Haas, Bearman said he still considered himself a rookie.
“I’m not sure what the team expects of me but I’m very harsh on myself,” Bearman replied when asked what he expected from himself this season. “I haven’t got any position-based expectations. It’s impossible before the car has run in anger. I want to learn and be consistent.
“But, and it’s often overlooked, I also really want to enjoy it. I’m living my dream here. You only get one rookie season.”
2025-02-18T14:39:04Z