Bearman Bolts into F2 for the 2023 season

Prema Racing announced on Monday that Ferrari academy driver Ollie Bearman will move to FIA Formula 2 in the 2023 racing season.

After a show-stopping rookie season in Formula 3 this year, which featured an impressive 8 podiums, Ollie finished the 2022 season in third place, with just seven points dividing the top three drivers.

Ollie’s maiden win in Spa-Francorchamps helped Prema to take the lead in the Team championship battle - with Prema finishing the season a stunning 54 points clear of any competition. 

Team Principal Rene Rosin said in a statement how impressed the team had been with Ollie’s continued hard work and dedication to driving. Acknowledging the considerable step forward, Rosin is confident in Ollie’s potential for the season ahead. He said, “We were amazed by how quickly and successfully Ollie transitioned from F4 to Formula 3 racing. He is a really talented driver, and while he will be making his first steps in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, we are confident he will improve race by race with the support of our team and the Ferrari Driver Academy.”

Ollie will get his first flavour of F2 very soon, during the post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit, from 23-25 November. Ahead of joining the F2 driver lineup, Ollie expressed excitement at spending another year with the Prema family. He said,

While there is a long winter of hard work ahead for the 17-year-old, Ollie is determined to make his mark in Formula 2 next year. He said, “It will be a tough challenge but everyone works so hard - I am already excited for the test in Abu Dhabi and for the first round of racing in 2023 in Bahrain.”

Already equipped with an impressive CV, it’s hard to believe that 2023 will be only his fourth season in single-seater motor racing. Even before driving in Formula 3, Ollie had built a solid reputation for himself. Racing into the record books, Ollie was the first driver to win two successive Formula 4 titles in the same season - taking the ADAC and Italian F4 titles in 2021.

Looking to the future, we are optimistic for Ollie’s continued success. Aventum Group said in a statement, “As a newly established brand in the (re)insurance market, Aventum has benefited from an enhanced global exposure thanks to our association with Ollie. It has been an amazing journey with him, from a record breaking F4 season to a superb maiden F3 season and now F2.”

Will F1 be next? We certainly hope so.