Ollie Bearman says he is forever ‘in debt’ to Carlos Sainz for his Formula 1 career

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Haas driver Oliver Bearman has revealed that he is ‘in debt’ to Carlos Sainz for the rest of his life. 

Bearman, 20, is one of the most highly-rated drivers on the current Formula 1 grid, having signed with the Ferrari Driving Academy back in 2021. 

In 2023, the Brit made his F1 debut as he drove in FP1 for Haas at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Bearman took on the role of Ferrari’s reserve driver in 2024 before becoming a Haas driver in 2025.

Since then, Bearman has impressed, scoring 41 points in his rookie season and 17 points so far in 2026. 

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Ollie Bearman explains why he is ‘in debt’ to Carlos Sainz for the rest of his life

Speaking recently on the Up to Speed podcast, Bearman revealed that he will forever be in debt to Sainz for his F1 career. 

During the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, Sainz, who was driving for Ferrari at the time, was forced to withdraw due to appendicitis. 

As a result, Bearman received a late call to replace Sainz and became the youngest-ever driver to compete for Ferrari.

After qualifying in 11th place, Bearman produced an impressive performance to finish seventh, ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

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Speaking about the situation, Bearman said: “First of all, I will always say to Carlos that I’m in his debt for the rest of my life. It’s only really thanks to him and obviously it was a very tough moment for him.

“Thanks to that, I was able to get my shot and prove that I was capable of racing in Formula 1 and compete with those guys.

“I don’t know if I will be in F1 without that race, honestly, I wouldn’t like to think what would’ve happened but anyway, we’re here and I’m very happy.”

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Ollie Bearman reflects on ‘tough’ first season in Formula 1

Although he was happy to have reached the pinnacle of motorsport, Bearman admitted that his first season was tough.

The 20-year-old stated that he struggled with the demands of having extra races and the long travels.

Bearman said: “The first season was very tough, it’s so busy, and those extra 10 races you do in F1 are very long trips, you’re doing all of the American races and more Asian races.

“The travel is a lot more demanding, more marketing days and more media days. These things are all extra, and less time at home, I found that challenging at times.”

Having already impressed at Haas, Bearman will be the heavy favourite to move to Ferrari in the future and has already been tipped to be Hamilton’s replacement.