Oliver Bearman doesn’t just want to become world champion – he wants to do it in red. The British Formula 1 sensation begins the second season of his Haas apprenticeship at the Australian Grand Prix on March 8, though he remains very much a Ferrari driver, with the Italians hoping he will develop into Lewis Hamilton‘s successor.

The seven-time world champion’s future is up in the air after a difficult first year at Ferrari, and more pain in 2026 could see the team look to move on. But whether or not he lands his promotion this year, Bearman has a clear idea of what he wants his future to be. He told Express Sport: “I want to win races and championships eventually, and that’s the team I want to do it with.”

Aged 20, Bearman speaks with confidence, maturity and what he calls a “hybrid” accent.

Born in London, he was raised in Chelmsford but left home for Italy at 16 after impressing at a Ferrari “scouting camp”. He insists, though, that he “never had the Essex accent, thank god!”

Ferrari’s interest at such an early age was testament to Bearman’s talent, but it was in March 2024 that he received a sudden introduction to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Carlos Sainz had been struck down by appendicitis, and Ferrari needed someone to race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in his place. Bearman, then just 18 and in Jeddah for the Formula 2 support race for which he had qualified on pole, “took the opportunity without questioning it”.

He recalled: “It was a whirlwind of a weekend with how quickly everything happened, but it was my first chance to really prove what I was capable of in a Formula 1 car, which generally tended to suit my driving style a bit better than Formula 2. So I was really excited for the opportunity.”

And he proved it, qualifying 11th and finishing seventh, ahead of fellow Brits Hamilton and Lando Norris.

“Despite having only one session to get into it, I was still really happy with my performance, particularly in the race where I was pretty quick,” he said.

“It was a big challenge with lots of pressure and expectation and eyes on me, but often you only get one chance at that level of sport to show what you’re capable of doing and why you should have a full-time seat there. That was my shot, and I went for it.”

A new British sporting star was born and a seemingly inevitable full-time seat with Ferrari’s customer team Haas was confirmed that summer.

His first full season took a while to get going, including what he readily admits was “a silly error that can’t happen at this level”, when he crashed while entering the pit lane at Silverstone.

But he found his groove after the summer break as Haas made a breakthrough with their car, and he ended the year with three points more than experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon.

The highlight was undoubtedly a fourth-placed finish in Mexico, secured after a jaw-dropping double overtake on Max Verstappen and George Russell in the same corner.

Bearman admitted at the time: “I was “s******* myself going side by side with Max.” And he told us: “We were in that fight, and justifiably so. We had the pace to stay with them and, even prior to the overtake, I was in a good position.

“So when they went side by side and had that coming together and lost a lot of lap time, I was able to benefit from that, which was great.

“But I think the more rewarding part was the fact that I was able to stay in front of them and actually had the pace to hold off a lot of very quick cars.

“There was definitely a lot of pressure, particularly going side by side with some very successful people in this sport. But it was a special feeling, and that was a great opportunity and points that we took on that day in Mexico.”

He wants to be fighting against the likes of Verstappen and Russell week in, week out – not that he knows yet when that will come.

He added: “I’ve been told nothing. That’s not my job. I’m not the one who’s negotiating what my future looks like.

“My target is to continue what I’m doing, proving what I’m capable of behind the wheel and, in my view, the rest will sort itself out.

“It’s flattering to have the connotations, but my job remains to try to maximise what we can achieve with this team. Next year, we have a new regulation set and an opportunity to do some pretty special things.

“I was very lucky to have made my debut with Ferrari. That was one of the most special moments in my life. So, of course, my main motivation in life is to get back into a red car and prove what I’m capable of.”