Oliver Bearman’s dad shares how Haas star's F1 promotion saved his younger brother’s motorsports career

Racing in motorsports, in general, can prove to be quite expensive, and Oliver Bearman’s father, David Bearman, has had his fair share of the costs that come with funding a racing career. The father of the Formula 1 star recently admitted that his son securing a spot on the 2025 grid subtly helped save his younger brother’s motorsport career.

The 53-year-old insurance executive, who has largely overseen the development of his son’s career, spoke to the media about how the Haas driver landing an F1 seat paved the way for his younger son Thomas’ motorsport journey. Sharing his thoughts via Autosport.com, Bearman Sr. stated:

“If Ollie had stayed in F2, I couldn’t have funded both. But it all worked out.”

Bearman’s rise and eventual entry into Formula 1 came in a somewhat unorthodox manner. Despite excelling through his formative years in the junior formula series, the Chelmsford native appeared to be far from securing a seat on the 2025 grid. That was until Carlos Sainz required appendicitis surgery during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 20-year-old was then called upon to deputize for the Spanish driver with the Scuderia Ferrari team—an outing that left several teams on high alert in their search for a 2025 driver.

Oliver Bearman would go on to finish the Jeddah race in seventh place and subsequently signed with the Haas F1 Team during the mid-season break.

Oliver Bearman’s confirmed seat in Formula 1 has since translated into his younger brother Thomas securing a spot in the European Formula 4 category. Only recently, during the British Grand Prix weekend, Oliver was spotted cheering on his younger brother.

Oliver Bearman speaks about racing for Scuderia Ferrari

While David Bearman continues to be delighted with his son securing a seat on the 2025 grid, Oliver Bearman, for his part, expressed his ambition to someday race for the Scuderia Ferrari team again.

Bearman, who was full of praise for the Maranello-based outfit, detailed that racing someday in red is among his motivations in Formula 1.

“I’m sure Ferrari believes in me – they’ve supported me this far and gave me the chance I have now. That’s what gets me out of bed every morning. I want to race in red. I want to win in red. That’s my main motivation.”

Oliver Bearman is currently part of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy development program. The former Prema Racing driver has previously tested a few of the Italian outfit’s machines. Whether Bearman someday gets his wish to don the red of the Ferrari team is something only time will reveal.

Edited by Tushar Bahl