Ferrari, Bearman accelerates: “Driving and winning with the Red car is my life’s goal”
The 20-year-old Englishman sees red in his future and hopes to fast-track his journey back to Maranello
Is there Ollie in Ferrari’s future?
While Lewis Hamilton regularly sends signals to the media that could be interpreted as hints of an imminent retirement, only to later deny them when directly asked whether he is really considering stepping away from Formula 1, the 2025 season appears to have clearly pointed to the name of a potential successor at Ferrari. The young driver from the Academy, Oliver Bearman, was in fact one of the standout performers of his debut World Championship, even if his campaign was inevitably shaped by the ups and downs that come with driving a midfield car like the Haas.
His head-to-head battle with Esteban Ocon, a driver often underestimated but in reality extremely difficult to beat when competing on equal machinery, made it clear just how positive the young Englishman’s first full season can be considered, even beyond his 13th-place finish in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Oliver Bearman speaks
In short, the future of at least one of Ferrari’s two seats seems to be well protected, at least judging by the talent and freshness of one of the latest products of the Ferrari Driver Academy. A future that the 20-year-old has not hidden his eagerness for, speaking with particular openness in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport:
“This is my dream, and it’s what pushes me to always give everything I have and gives me energy every morning. I want to race in red, I want to win in red, this is the goal of my life. My debut in Jeddah (in 2024, when he was called up on Saturday morning for FP3 to replace Carlos Sainz, who was sidelined by appendicitis, ed.)? I was lucky in that case to get a taste of Ferrari. And now that I know what it means, I’m even more motivated.”
It will clearly be crucial for Oliver Bearman to start the new season strongly, proving that he is comfortable with the next generation of single-seaters as well, which will be radically different from the cars that have just been retired:
“I want 2026 to be a solid year, above all for my team. I have no control over everything else, but I feel ready for whatever the future has in store for me. And next year, with more experience, I want to prove it even more, because doing a full season as a regular driver is completely different. You also have to learn how to manage your energy. I also made a few stupid mistakes, like in Australia. It was a terrible start, not what you want as a debutant, but everything helped me learn. Then there was Silverstone, my home race. But from that point on I think I improved a lot and really learned my lesson.”
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