This Formula 1 season sees many new faces on the grid. No less than five rookies are making the leap to the premier class in the anniversary year. The newcomers have already proven themselves in the feeder series, but have little experience on public roads. For instance, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman have only recently obtained valid driving licenses. For the latter, the driving test was not a smooth ride.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli passed his driving test in December. The young Italian had already completed a training session with the Mercedes Formula 1 team by then. His former teammate at PREMA, Oliver Bearman, obtained his driving license in May, a few months after his baptism of fire with Ferrari during the Saudi Arabian GP. While Antonelli passed at the first attempt, Bearman took a bit longer, as he revealed during a press event in London.
‘Had never seen a stop sign before’
“I only passed on the second attempt,” Oliver Bearman admitted candidly. “The second time?” a Sky Sports journalist asked eagerly. “I shouldn’t have said that,” the young Brit laughed. “I ignored a stop sign. I didn’t race past it, I did slow down. In the end, I crept past it, but of course, you’re supposed to stop.” Bearman defended his mistake by stating that he had never seen a stop sign before. “We don’t have those on the track,” he joked.”It was also typical of a racer’s mindset,” Bearman grinned in conclusion. “I assumed I would succeed without taking lessons first. That’s probably where things went wrong. For my second attempt, I did take some lessons.” With his driver’s license in hand, the 19-year-old racer from Chelmsford is making his debut this year with the Haas Formula 1 team. His new teammate, the experienced Esteban Ocon, proved this week that he too can make mistakes. During an initial test with the VF-25, he damaged the sidepod.
Oliver Bearman is making his debut in Formula 1 (Haas) this year.
