“A dream come true”: Oliver Bearman shares his honest take on F1 GOAT Lewis Hamilton

Oliver Bearman, who has had three starts so far in Formula 1, recently spoke about the experience he had racing against seven-time world drivers' champion, Lewis Hamilton. Bearman's first start in 2024 was driving for Ferrari, which gave him the initial opportunity to battle against the Mercedes driver, who he called one of the greatest drivers the sport has seen.

The 19-year-old made his F1 debut in March last year, driving as Carlos Sainz's substitute in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis and was unable to be a part of the race. Bearman started the race in 11th but battled the likes of McLaren's Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to take seventh place.

His next two races were with the Haas team, in Azerbaijan and Brazil, where he finished in 10th and 12th, one and two spots below Lewis Hamilton respectively. Speaking with BBC about the last year leaving him with a taste for more this upcoming season, the Brit also highlighted that his three times battling Hamilton was quite significant for him. He said (via GPBlog):

"It actually turned out that in every race I've done I've been fighting on track with Lewis so that was really just a dream come true, to race against someone so famous and so talented as well, the best F1 driver we've ever had."

At the end of last year, Bearman finished the season 18th place in the standings, after securing a total of seven points thanks to his two points finishes.

Oliver Bearman will make his full-time debut with the Haas team in 2025, driving alongside Esteban Ocon, who will also be marking his first season with the American team this year.

---

Oliver Bearman highlights goals for himself and the team's "fantastic" 2024 season

Oliver Bearman on track during Formula 1 testing at Yas Marina Circuit - Source: Getty

In an interview with the BBC Look East, Oliver Bearman spoke about the momentum of the Haas team as they go into the new season having secured their second best finish in the standings last year. The British driver also highlighted his own goals for the upcoming season, which includes introspection while constantly growing performance-wise.

"Haas had a great season last year. They were on a great trajectory, finishing T7 (in the team standings) at the end. That was really unexpected, but a fantastic result for the team. So I think my goals are really just looking at myself, looking within, I want to be proud of my performances, see a continuous growth and development though the year and that's really what I'm focusing on."

Speaking also about the 2025 car, Bearman admits that he hasn't got a chance to drive it yet, making him unsure if the team can continue its trajectory after the P7 finish in 2024.

"I hope we can continue that trajectory, but it's tough to say, you know, we haven't driven the car yet, and we don't know where we stand compared to the other teams in terms of progress compared to last year," he added.

While the name hasn't been confirmed, following their conventions, Haas' 2025 car will be called the VF-25. It will make its on track debut at Silverstone on February 16th for a filming day, with it's livery being revealed at the F1 75 event on February 18th.