Who is Oliver Bearman – Ferrari’s youngest-ever F1 driver at 18? The British racing driver just made a stellar debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, even coming ahead of Lewis Hamilton

Mar 17 , 2024

Meet the 18-year-old Brit who everyone’s talking about, F1 star Ollie Bearman. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

Those who keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One and its drivers have probably come across Oliver Bearman by now. That’s because he just made his debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 9 – and boy did he make an impression.

Coming in seventh position in the race, Tatler noted that he scored six points for Ferrari and even came ahead of fellow Brit racing driver – and one of the best drivers of all time – Lewis Hamilton.

Oliver Bearman was asked to replace F1 racing driver Carlos Sainz at the last minute. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

And did we mention that he’s only 18 years old, making him the youngest Briton to start a grand prix, according to the BBC. The same source states that the opportunity came when he was asked by Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz, who was suddenly discovered to be suffering from appendicitis. Per Sky Sports, Bearman is therefore Ferrari’s youngest-ever F1 driver.

It’s always exciting to see a talented newbie enter the sport. Here’s what we know about him so far:

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Where is Oliver Bearman from?

Oliver Bearman is 18 years old, and will turn 19 this spring. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

Oliver Bearman was born on 8 May 2005 and grew up in Chelmsford, in the oft-maligned county of Essex, England. According to his profile on the Ferrari website, he first tried his hand at karting when he was about eight years old.

He told FIA Formula 2 that Chelmsford is his home. “I was born a bit closer to London, but Chelmsford is where we moved when I was around six years old, and I’ve lived there for the majority of my life. It’s a lovely town. Where we live now is a bit more old-fashioned and quaint, which is quite nice. The weather’s not amazing, but in the summer it’s lovely, with some nice countryside so it’s perfect.”

He’s been in the F2 until now …

Ollie Bearman grew up in a town outside London. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

So far, he has competed in 90 races and won 22 times according to his profile on Ferrari. The 18 year old has been sitting pretty in the Formula 2 – the second tier racing competition where drivers spend time working on and developing their racing styles, per RedBull. So when he smashed his Formula One debut in Saudi, the world’s press couldn’t wait to hear his reaction.

“Honestly it didn’t (feel like a dream), sorry to let you guys down,” he told Sky Sports F1. “It was a great race and I loved every moment but the weekend was too short. It was over too quickly and I am now back down to earth and back down to reality but I think I did a good job out there today.”

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He’s in with the Ferrari crowd

Oliver Bearman began racing for Ferrari this year. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

In an interview last year with FIA Formula 2, Bearman opened up about some of the A-listers he’s been mingling with since getting into the sport. “Of course, Arthur (Leclerc) and Jak (Crawford), they were my teammates last year, so we have a really good relationship. Then the other Ferrari Driver Academy drivers like Dino (Beganovic) in F3, also Fred (Vesti) who’s now my teammate and a couple others. You say hi to everyone, we’re all pretty close,” said the youngster.

He admires Lionel Messi

Ollie Bearman has competed in 90 races and won 22 of them. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

Bearman also opened up in the same interview about some of the idols he looks up to outside Formula One. He declared his fondness for footballer Lionel Messi. “I would say probably Lionel Messi, I was quite a big football fan when I was growing up – not so much now. I admire him and what he’s done even at this stage in his career, to win the World Cup was a really cool achievement and signed off his career basically,” he shared.

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Who is Oliver Bearman dating?

Oliver Bearman – better known as Ollie Bearman – got the world talking after his excellent F1 debut in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Photo: @olliebearman/Instagram

Sorry peeps, but it seems like Ollie, as he’s better known, is already in a relationship!

According to a report in Tatler, Bearman is linked to a 21-year-old law student by the name of Estelle Ogilvy. His glam, London-based girlfriend is also a model and fashion influencer, according to the magazine, with over 200,000 followers across her TikTok and Instagram accounts.

Formula One (F1)

Those who keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One and its drivers will already know who Oliver Bearman is, because the 18-year-old just made his debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The opportunity came when he was asked by Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis and couldn’t compete, making him the car company’s youngest-ever F1 driver