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British teenager Oliver Bearman says he is hoping to “learn a lot” from Lewis Hamilton when the seven-time world champion brings his “winning mentality” to Ferrari next season.
Bearman has come through the Ferrari Driver Academy to seal a 2025 Formula 1 seat with Haas, theoretically on loan from the Italian squad, with the 19-year-old hopeful he can one day progress to a drive with the sport’s most famous team.
Hamilton is joining Ferrari from Mercedes next season in a move that should result in the British duo working closely together, with Bearman sure to remain involved despite being at Haas.
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Lewis Hamilton won the British GP and was left emotional on the team radio straight after
“I think he’ll bring a lot of experience to the team,” Bearman told Sky Sports at Silverstone following confirmation of his multi-year Haas contract ahead of the British Grand Prix.
“He’s won seven world championships – that’s something that not many people can say. He’ll bring a good mentality to the team, a winning mentality, but of course his talent is undeniable. He’s one of the best to have ever done it.”
Hamilton triumphed in a thriller two weeks ago at Silverstone to end a 56-race winless streak stretching back to December 2021, with the Brit expelling doubts, including his own, over whether he is still able to produce his best form at the age of 39.
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Hamilton celebrated his ninth victory at Silverstone with his Mercedes team and the crowd!
“It’s great that I in some way he can share his experience with me slightly,” Bearman continued.
“I hope that I will learn a lot from him and I hope that Ferrari will as well because I think he will be a great asset to the team.”
Bearman: I want to win world championships with Ferrari
While Ferrari’s driver line-up is set for at least the next couple of seasons with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc signed to multi-year deals, Bearman says his ultimate ambition is to win world championships in red.
The Essex-born driver fast-tracked his path to the F1 grid when making a hugely assured grand prix debut when standing in for Ferrari in place of an unwell Carlos Sainz at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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Take a look at the best moments from reserve driver Oliver Bearman’s debut race weekend for Ferrari where he stole the show finishing in a brilliant seventh place
Bearman drove with great poise as he finished seventh in Jeddah while becoming the youngest driver to race for Ferrari, with his performance catching the attention of the likes of Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu.
“I think Ferrari is one of the most iconic brands in the world, of course within racing and F1. If you draw a car, it’s red. It’s a brand that’s synonymous with racing, with victory, with success and with fantastic drivers as well,” Bearman said.
“So, first of all, to have made my debut with Ferrari, that hasn’t happened for a very long time. And the fact that I became the youngest Ferrari driver was something very special for me.
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell congratulated Bearman after an impressive seventh place in the Ferrari
“Of course, I want to win world championships, and to do that with Ferrari is my dream. They’ve been supporting me since 2021. They’ve seen something from me early on. They decided to trust in me, and even just to put me behind the wheel in Jeddah was a big risk from Ferrari’s side.
“So that shows that they believe in me, that they trust in my capability, and of course one day I would love to win a championship, especially with Ferrari.”
Bearman is making his fourth of six Practice One appearances with Haas this year in Friday’s opening practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Bearman hopeful Antonelli joins him in F1
Bearman’s Jeddah display made him one of the standout names on the Formula 2 grid, with the support series’ most other notable figure being the Brit’s Prema team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Italian, who doesn’t turn 18 until August, has long been the favourite to replace Hamilton at Mercedes with the Silver Arrows believing his special talent merits fast-tracking to the front of the grid.
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Bearman sealed his first win of the year, triumphing in the F2 Sprint around the Red Bull Ring
Surprisingly to many, neither Bearman nor Antonelli have had hugely impressive F2 campaigns thus far, with the Italian in eighth and the Brit 13th in the standings with just six of 14 rounds remaining.
While each has claimed their first race victories of the season in reverse-grid contests over the past two weekends, the fact that neither has excelled has probably helped to reassure Ferrari and Mercedes that the issues lie more with the Prema car than either of the drivers.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted at Silverstone, before Antonelli claimed his maiden F2 win, that the team were still considering their options, but Bearman is hopeful the Italian will join him on next year’s F1 grid.
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Mercedes Technical Director James Allison described Kimi Antonelli as a ‘promising young driver’ after his recent F1 test
“We’ve always been following each other and stepping up around the same time,” Bearman said.
“I’ve known Kimi for a long time, we raced each other a little bit in Formula 4, a lot on the simulator, now we’re team-mates in F2.
“I hope for him that he will be in F1 as well because he deserves it. One day I hope to fight for a world championship with him because I think that’s the trajectory that we’re both aiming for.”
Next up for F1 is the Hungarian Grand Prix from Budapest on July 19-21. You can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
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