MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has signed Great Britain’s Oliver Bearman to compete for the US-squad on a multi-year contract beginning with the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The 19-year-old Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member is currently an official reserve driver for the team while contesting the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Prema Racing – Bearman collecting his first win of the 2024 campaign last weekend in Austria in the Sprint race to add to his tally of four victories from a stellar rookie season in 2023.
Bearman, in his additional role as reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, made a memorable Formula 1 debut back in March in Saudi Arabia substituting for the sidelined Carlos Sainz – in doing so becoming the third-youngest racer in Formula 1 history. A mature performance from the then 18-year-old from Chelmsford saw Bearman classified seventh and firmly in the points on his one-off race appearance behind the wheel of the SF-24.
No stranger to MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – the only American team competing in Formula 1, Bearman participated in two FP1 sessions for the Kannapolis outfit in 2023, in Mexico and Abu Dhabi respectively, followed by a full-day in the VF-23 at the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi. Announced as an official reserve driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in January of this year, Bearman’s work with the team this season includes six FP1 sessions, with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend marking his third appearance in the VF-24 with Hungary, Mexico and Abu Dhabi to follow.
“It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1,” said Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of MoneyGram Haas F1 team. “He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car. Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned.”
Gene Haas, Team Owner of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team commented; “I’m pleased we’ve been able to give Oliver Bearman this opportunity to drive full-time in Formula 1 – he’s undoubtedly an exciting rookie prospect, not just based on what he showed in Saudi Arabia but also through his time developing his relationship with our team. I’m personally excited to see how he grows as a driver, and we look forward to seeing him deliver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team next season and beyond. This is an exciting time for the team. Oliver’s signing shows we continue to invest in talent – both on and off-track – as we continue to compete at the highest level.”
“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me,” stated Oliver Bearman. “To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud. To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene, Ayao and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team. I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone since the first time we met in Mexico and I can’t wait to enjoy this moment with them and hopefully many more in the future. To Fred, Marco, Jock, Alessandro and everyone at the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, quite simply, I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for preparing me since F4 for this incredible opportunity and know I will give it everything I have.”
Bearman was signed to the prestigious Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy in November 2021 – the Brit following the likes of Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman in receiving outings with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team through the team’s long-standing relationship with Scuderia Ferrari. Bearman, prior to graduating into the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2023 – where he finished his rookie season sixth overall in the Drivers’ Standings, won the 2021 Italian F4 Championship and 2021 ADAC F4 Championship, and competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2022. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team sits seventh overall in the Constructors’ Championship as the British Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, is hosted at Silverstone International Circuit this weekend, Friday 5 – Sunday 7 July.
