Britain’s latest Formula One star Ollie Bearman has revealed he failed his first driving test.
The 19-year-old, who was thrust into the limelight at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a late stand-in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, has been handed a full-time seat with Haas for the forthcoming F1 campaign.
But, speaking at the sport’s 2025 launch event at London’s O2 Arena, Bearman said he required another go at obtaining his road driving licence.
“I passed second time and I shouldn’t have said that,” said the teenager with a smile.
“I didn’t stop at a ‘stop’ sign. I didn’t burn through, I slowed down and I was crawling but you are supposed to stop. We don’t have ‘stop’ signs at a race track so that was my first sighting of a ‘stop’ sign.
“But typical me, or typical racing driver I guess, I thought I could pass my test without any lessons. So, that is probably where I went wrong. I made sure I had a few lessons before the second one.”
Bearman, who owns a £40,000 Alfa Romeo Tonale, became the youngest British driver in F1 history with his debut in Jeddah last March after Sainz was ruled out with appendicitis.
With just a single practice session under his belt, Bearman qualified 11th and then made up four places in the race to finish seventh – two positions ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton, 39, described Bearman’s display as “phenomenal” and that of a “future star”. Bearman went on to make further appearances in Azerbaijan and Interlagos for Haas.
Hamilton will make his Ferrari debut at the opening round in Australia on March 16 and Bearman, a member of the Italian team’s young driver academy, admitted he will have one eye on his compatriot’s progress.
“Of course I will be watching Lewis,” added Bearman. “I hope he does really well because it is such an iconic move in Formula One history and I wish him the very best.
“I would still consider myself a rookie. I am not officially a rookie but I think that is a bit harsh. There are still tracks that I have not been to and I have not done a full season in F1.
“I am not feeling nervous now, there will be some nerves when I sit on the grid in Melbourne but I don’t think there will be any more pressure than there was in Jeddah or Baku or Brazil – if anything there will be even less.
“I have so many opportunities to prove myself that I don’t need to do anything crazy.”
