Oliver Bearman completed three races in Formula 1 last season, but the Haas driver still considers himself a rookie heading into his first full campaign in the sport.
The Briton, 19, made his F1 debut in the Ferrari standing in for Carlos Sainz, who had surgery to remove his appendix, at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last March.
Finishing in seventh place for his maiden points finish, Bearman held off the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in an impressive first showing in F1.
Bearman went on to make two more appearances in the 2024 season, twice filling in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas at the Azerbaijan and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
The youngest driver to score points on debut – and the youngest driver to compete for Ferrari – the 19-year-old was signed to a multi-term deal with Haas last summer.
Speaking ahead of the team’s car launch at the F1 75 live event, the Formula 2 graduate expressed how he still feels like a newcomer to the sport.
“Yeah I would still consider myself a rookie,” Bearman told select media including Motorsport Week.
“I think I’m not officially a rookie but I think that’s a bit harsh.
“There are certainly some rookies with more mileage in F1 than me who are still official rookies.
“I think it’s harsh to not call me a rookie, I still feel like a rookie.
“There are still tracks that I haven’t been to and I still haven’t done a full season in F1.
“Which in my mind makes me a rookie but I am very lucky to have done three races and a lot of mileage behind the scenes.
“I’m feeling ready for my rookie season.”
F1 rookie reveals driving test failure
A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, Bearman made his single-seater debut in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship five years ago at the age of just 15.
After the news that fellow rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli had passed his driving test, Bearman was asked how his test went, which led to a shocking revelation.
“I passed it a few years ago since you can pass at 17 here [the UK] not 18 like in Italy,” he divulged.
Bearman, however, went on to admit: “I did pass [on my] second time – I shouldn’t have told [you] that.
“I didn’t stop at a ‘stop’ sign, I didn’t burn through, I slowed down and I was crawling but you are supposed to stop.
“We don’t have those on racetracks so that was my first sighting of a ‘stop’ sign.
“But typical me, or typical probably racing driver, I thought I could pass my test without any lessons.
“So, that’s probably where I went wrong after that.”
Bearman admits to ‘some nerves’ ahead of new season
Under the guidance of Team Principal Ayao Komatsu in 2024, Haas recorded its best finish in the Constructors’ Standings since 2018, with a seventh-place finish.
Esteban Ocon joins the American outfit for 2025 alongside Bearman, as the new pairing looks to replicate the success that former drivers Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg brought last year.
Asked if he was feeling anxious before the first race in Australia, Bearman expressed how there won’t be “any more pressure” than last year in his opinion.
He explained: “Of course, there’ll be some nerves sitting there on the grid [in Melbourne].
“But I don’t feel that there’ll be any more pressure than there was in Jeddah, in Baku, in Brazil – if anything there’s even less.
“I have so many opportunities this year to prove myself but I don’t need to do anything crazy to start with.
“I just want to build up, step by step and I’m sure in Australia I’ll be feeling the nerves.
“But nothing out of the ordinary.”
READ MORE: Why Haas isn’t treating Oliver Bearman like a ‘normal rookie’ in F1 2025
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