OLIVER BEARMAN MINI HELMETS

Oliver Bearman's rise has been fast even by Formula 1 academy standards. He started karting at eight years old, worked his way through Britain's junior ranks, and by 2021 had done something no driver had managed before him: won the German and Italian F4 championships in the same season. That result earned him a place in the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy before he'd even turned seventeen.

What followed was one of the more unusual debut stories in recent F1 history. In March 2024, with Carlos Sainz sidelined by appendicitis, Ferrari called up their reserve driver with barely a day's notice. Bearman had been racing in Formula 2 the week before; by Sunday, he was holding off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to finish seventh in his first Grand Prix — at eighteen years old, becoming the third-youngest driver ever to start an F1 race. A few months later, he did it again for Haas, scoring points as a substitute at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix — making him the first driver in Formula 1 history to score points for two different teams before he'd even started a full season.

Bearman signed with Haas full-time for 2025, pairing him with the more experienced Esteban Ocon. His rookie year had its rough patches, as most do, but it also had real signature moments — a run of five consecutive points finishes and a career-best fourth place at the Mexican Grand Prix, matching the best result in Haas history. He finished the season two places ahead of his more experienced teammate.

His number, 87, isn't a random pick. It's the number his father raced under as a club driver — a tribute to family more than statistics, chosen for the birth dates of his father and uncle rather than any racing significance.