Meet Oliver Bearman, 18, the record-breaking Brit F1 ace who FAILED first driving test and ‘dates famous TikTok star’
OLIVER BEARMAN is the 18-year-old British F1 driver on the fast track to stardom.
The teenager, who is dating 21-year-old TikTok sensation Estelle Ogilvy, made his shock Formula One debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Bearman came in as Ferrari’s Carlos Sain withdrew from the race to undergo emergency surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis.
He was selected as his replacement after he securing pole position in F2 qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The youngster then finished P11 in F1 qualifying after missing out on Q3 by just 0.036 seconds.
He broke Lando Norris‘ record as Britain’s youngest ever F1 driver and was the first Brit to represent Ferrari since Eddie Irvine in 1999.
Off the track, he is already turning heads as he is reportedly dating TikTok stunner Estelle.
The influencer has more than 85,000 followers on TikTok, with the loved-up couple choosing to keep their relationship off fans’ social media feeds for the time being.
His Ferrari team-mates are well aware of his girlfriend and have supposedly teased him about it.
Bearman has been tipped as a future star after winning the F4 series in both Italy and Germany in 2021.
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After climbing up to F3, the teen sensation finished third and was then promoted to F2 last year with Prema Racing.
He has already caught the attention of his fellow F1 racers after impressing in practice sessions during the 2023 season.
Bearman got behind the wheel of a Haas car in Mexico City last year, and SunSport have exclusively revealed how he could sign for the team next season.
His best lap time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was just 1.6 seconds slower than three-time champion Max Verstappen, and three tenths adrift of experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
However, the Brit was quicker than veteran Fernando Alonso, who won the 2005 World Championship when Bearman was just a matter of months old.
And come race day Bearman was on track beating Norris and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after a seventh place finish.
Born in Chelmsford, Bearman comes from a racing obsessed family.
His father David is a former go-kart driver, who also drove under the No87, and his young brother Thomas is also a highly-rated racer for KR Sport.
Bearman dominated British Karting, having hit the circuit for the first time at the age of eight.
He was spotted by Ferrari aged 16 and was snapped up as part of their young driver programme.
Interest from the Italian giants saw Bearman quit school – to the annoyance of his mother Terri – in favour of moving within a few miles of Ferrari’s HQ in Modena.
Since relocating from Essex, his voice has slightly changed with some claiming he now has an Italian twang.
On the move, Bearman said: “A lot of people have told me my accent has changed even if I don’t notice it.
“I spend a lot of time with Italians and to communicate with people where English is not their first language is not easy, so I have changed my word order and ended up with this everywhere accent.
“Maybe I got a bit lucky not to get the Essex accent.
“When I moved to Modena it happened pretty quickly.
“It was like going to university two years early, but I have loved every moment so far.
“My mum was very pro-school and very pro-education, but we managed to convince her in the end.
“I miss my family, my two dogs – that is the negative side.
“But the food in Italy is a big chunk above the English stuff, the weather is better, too.”
Bearman’s boyhood hero is Jenson Button, who has already singled out the wonderkid for praise.
On his love for the 2009 champion, Bearman said: “I heard Jenson was praising me on Sky, and that was amazing for me to hear.
“I don’t know why, but he was always the guy I loved and really looked up to.
“It is cool that he recognised my performance in practice and I will try to speak to him.”
Ferrari have not yet announced who will be joining Charles Leclerc in the Scuderia’s other car, with Sainz still on the mend following his surgery.
But Bearman has since been spotted in a Ferrari again as part of his development in the team’s car testing programme.
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