Piastri showed private testing is best preparation for F1 debut – Bearman

Oliver Bearman is expected to spend a second season in Formula 2 next year, but he says more Formula 1 testing would be the ideal way to graduate to grand prix racing.

The Ferrari junior came sixth in his rookie F2 campaign, winning four races and taking pole position three times. In October he made his F1 test debut at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in a 2021 car, then was called up by Ferrari’s powertrain customer Haas to drive in free practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi grands prix as well as F1’s official post-season test.

He said he first run before driving in Mexico gave him “a bit of self-confidence, because for the first [practice] I had already driven an F1 car. I didn’t know where I stood, it was just me on track. It was nice that when I went there I was more or less competitive.”

He admitted he was “really nervous before that session, even if probably I tried not to show it,” but pleased with how it went. “I was quite happy that I kind of showed that I could be there and be close to these guys. That was probably the biggest lesson. But also, of course, the obvious ones of learning the track and the car and how the guys [at Haas] work as well.”

After another hour in the car at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Beraman said he was “really happy” and even more convinced about having an F1 future.

“The goal of the [practice] was the exact same as Mexico: Just to bring the car back and increase my knowledge. And I did exactly that. I doubled my mileage in the F1 car, more or less. It was a really positive session. I felt like I got up to speed a lot quicker, I felt very comfortable in the car more easily. So it was just a positive day,” he said.

Having driven in the high-altitude, low-downforce conditions of Mexico City, Bearman confessed he was “quite shocked at the amount of grip” at the more conventional Yas Marina circuit.

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“When I started the first lap, I think I was three seconds off of my ultimate fast lap. And then I was like ‘well, okay, there’s a lot more grip here’. That was quite unexpected.

“After that I started to push, and it feels like the grip is just unlimited compared to what I’m used to driving. The car was just so planted and it really was breeding confidence. For that reason I was able to get up to speed really fast and what I had underneath me felt really good.”

Bearman is convinced he will be “ready to go” into F1 in 2025 if he gets the chance. “I know I have what it takes. Preparation would be important, and first of all I have to do a good job in F2. That’s step one. But I have no doubt that if I get a call-up, I’m ready to go.”

However he said the example of Oscar Piastri, who spent a year testing for Alpine before making a successful debut for McLaren, shows more running in a an F1 car is the best way to prepare for a grand prix debut.

“He showed that preparation is really important. Once you join F1, you’re going up against guys with a lot of races under their belt, and coming in as a rookie is a difficult job. It’s something that we’ve thought about and it will be really important that before I start an F1 campaign I need to be really prepared.

“So hopefully that looks like more FP1s and maybe some private testing as well [next year]. I don’t have any say on that. But in an ideal world, that would be how I approach an F1 season.”

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