IS OLIVER BEARMAN THE NEXT BIG THING? LET’S FIND OUT
- Cristina Mazzotti
- May 4, 2023
- 3 min read
After his outstanding performance in Baku, all eyes are on the 17-year-old Brit, who didn’t fail to impress in the last few years. Let’s go through it.
A BITTERSWEET END OF THE SEASON
Bearman, who was crowned Italian and ADAC F4 champion in 2021, decided to step up to FIA F3 the following year; surely a big step for such a young driver, but he didn’t disappoint.
As a matter of fact, Bearman finished in 3rd place in his rookie year, which is quite impressive we must say, but it left a bittersweet taste because of the way the championship ended.
This made Bearman work harder and harder and get stronger mentally in order to be ready for his next big step, FIA F2.
A DIFFICULT START OF THE SEASON
Bahrain wasn’t easy for Oliver who only qualified 12th and finished both races outside the points, both him and his teammate Vesti were struggling with the pace and tire degradation.
Jeddah seemed promising at first when Bearman put his Prema car in 2nd place for qualifying, but a massive crash with Pourchaire caused his retirement in the Sprint race. Feature race was a struggle, few mistakes and the tire degradation once again compromised what could’ve been a first podium for the rookie.
Albert Park was average, 6th in quali, 7th in the Sprint race, and a 17th place in the Feature race after a contact in the pits with Hadjar.
Results that didn’t show the Brit’s full potential. But everything will change from Baku.
BEARMAN, THE KING OF BAKU
A weekend Ollie Bearman will never forget is without a doubt Baku. You know what they say about street circuits, they’re fun to race at but at the same time some of the hardest tracks mentally and physically, but Bearman came prepared for what turned out to be one of his best performances ever to date.
After topping the FP session, the Brit appeared to be one of the strongest coming into qualifying, lap after lap his name was popping up there in the first few places, but at one point it didn’t seem possible for him to take pole, after tapping the wall slightly in one of his attempts. With a bent steering wheel and in a lap that seemed like the last of his life, Ollie Bearman scores and outstanding pole position that left everyone in disbelief, himself included, a perfect lap that left a suspense until the very end.
In the Sprint race after a great start from P9, Bearman starts gaining positions until the very end when after a safety car restart the leaders crashed and Bearman managed to overtake his teammate Vesti snatching the victory from him. What a brilliant drive and winning from P9 is not something we witness every day, and to top it off he got fastest lap too.
Now only the feature race could’ve decided whether it was going to be a perfect weekend for Bearman or not; but he didn’t disappoint, after being overtaken by Pourchaire, Bearman will regain the lead keeping it until the very end of the race, winning once again an incredible race.
Oliver Bearman is your King of Baku, he always showed great pace driving in street circuits, might it be they’re his favorites, or maybe he’s just the king of the streets? Leaving Baku with an all-time record being the first F2 driver to top off every session in a weekend must be a great feeling, and the 17-year-old rookie certainly knows it.
THE NEXT BIG THING?
During the whole weekend Bearman caught the eye of everyone, even of those few who didn’t know who he was; and it wasn’t surprising at all to see Vasseur and Mekies below the podium, watching him with a proud stare.
For many people seeing this meant that Ferrari might have their eye on the 17-year-old, but it’s no news that Ferrari has had their eyes on him for quite some time now.
Bearman has showed outstanding performances since the start of his career in single seaters, struggling a bit on his first year of F4 though achieving great results as well, but from his championship win on he’s always been a safe bet.
A driver that can deliver even in the most difficult moments: smart, kind, caring, mature, hard-working and auspicious; a unique style of driving, slightly aggressive, Oliver Bearman has all the qualities to become the next big thing.
It’s safe to say that Ferrari should always keep an eye on him, and together, help him reach the maximum expression of the single seater’s category: Formula 1.
We believe in the talent that this young driver has, over the years he has matured incredibly, and we’re sure he still has a lot more to show, we wish him the very best as we believe that the future has great things in store for the Brit.
Cheers.
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