Bearman: Putting pen to paper with Haas ‘an emotional moment’
Ollie Bearman says finally signing his F1 contract with Haas after last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix was “quite an emotional moment”.
The 19-year-old Ferrari junior’s full-time promotion to the big time was confirmed on Thursday by Haas, ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix where the Briton will take part in FP1 with the US outfit.
While Bearman’s seat with Haas was considered a done deal by many, especially after his remarkable one-off appearance in last March’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the young gun publicly pushed back on the speculation, unwilling to put the cart before the horse.
“Honestly, until it was finally confirmed after the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, because in F1 until you put a pen on a piece of paper, it's not really official,” he said.
“I knew that it was what we were working towards, and that we were pretty much getting there for a while. But you can never celebrate too soon, because F1 is a fast-moving world, and you're only as good as your last race.
“I was, of course, relieved when it finally came about, and I shared that moment with my manager, who's been with me all the way, and that was quite an emotional moment.”
Bearman referred to his positive practice outings with Haas, last year and more recently, as indicators that sustained his optimism of securing a seat on the grid for 2025.
“I felt like I’ve been performing well since the beginning in free practices,” Bearman said.
“And obviously every time I’ve driven with Haas, I did the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, I’ve always got out of the car feeling like I’ve put in a good image of myself.
“I performed in a way that I was proud of, which is important to me.
“I knew that if I continue to do that, hopefully I would do enough to get an F1 seat. I’m happy that it’s confirmed and it’s finally the case.”
Bearman will race next season with #87 emblazoned on his car. He explained the story behind his chosen number.
“I am going to use 87, that's confirmed,” he explained. “I didn't get to choose my number in Jeddah. And first of all, even if I did, that was the last of my worries!
“It [#87] is the number that I raced since the beginning and it's the number that my dad raced with - because I'm born on the eighth of May, and my brother on the seventh of August.
“So, 87 is the number of choice, and that will continue to be the case.”
Bearman also revealed that in a private moment earlier this week, he pulled out a ten-year-old video that he once received from none other than Lewis Hamilton at a time when he could scarcely imagine ever sharing the grid with the seven-time world champion, or others in F1.
“I think he [Hamilton] met one of my mum's friends or something like this, and she got him to make a video,” he said.
“It was like the most amazing day of my life. And then I just actually got reminded of it yesterday, I saw the video again, and it was a funny moment.
“I received it from him in like, 2015, or 16, [with Hamilton] saying 'keep pushing, hopefully you can make it to F1 one day'. And here I am.
“It's crazy to share the track with these guys who I watch racing. Even Fernando [Alonso], it's something pretty special, and it's a pinch-yourself moment, because these guys are, in my eyes, huge stars and someone that I look up to.
“And it's quite amazing that I'll share the circuit with them.”
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