The 19-year-old made his F1 debut in Saudi Arabia this year, becoming the youngest driver to race for Ferrari in the history of Formula One
Oliver Bearman has revealed he struggled with “imposter syndrome” when he made his Formula 1 debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Bearman stepped in to replace Carlos Sainz Jr after he was diagnosed with appendicitis, becoming the youngest driver to race for Ferrari in F1 history. The teenager impressed, finishing above the likes of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
Bearman has since gone on to compete in two more races for Haas and is set to make his full-time F1 debut with the team next season, having signed a multi-year deal to partner Esteban Ocon.
The 19-year-old has always projected great confidence, but he has now opened up about how nervous he felt ahead of the race in Jeddah. “In your first F1 race, you always have questions whether you’re actually good enough,” Bearman told the Financial Times.
“It’s a bit of imposter syndrome, where you feel, ‘Do I really belong here? Have I really got what it takes?’ Having done the race in Jeddah, I knew those questions were answered. I have my seat for next year.
“So this race was pretty much a dry run for next year. I had a lot of confidence heading into the weekend. I just enjoyed it and made the most of it.”
Bearman also branded his F1 career to date “strange and unexpected”, having deputised for Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a race ban and at the Sao Paul Grand Prix due to illness.
“This year has been quite strange and unexpected in terms of my F1 appearances,” he added. “No reserve driver goes into a year expecting to race, simply because it’s such a rare opportunity.
“The fact that I’ve got two of those opportunities, I can’t help but realise how lucky I am. But the important thing is that, with those two opportunities, I really grasped them with both hands and made the most of them.
“I gave performances to be proud of and managed to stand out. But I don’t think it will change my life. I just want to keep going and hopefully have some more standout performances.”
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