OFF THE GRID: Take an exclusive look into the off-track life of Ollie Bearman in our F1 TV series

Off The Grid is back for a second season, with Ollie Bearman the latest Formula 1 driver to give up a day off and give us a glimpse into his life away from the track. In episode one, the Haas driver – in only his second full season in F1 – talks about the sacrifices his family made to help him achieve his dream, life in his new home Monaco, that stunning super-sub performance for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia in 2024, and his life at Haas which has so far peaked with a superb P4 in Mexico last year...

When the Ferrari Driver Academy signed Bearman up, the Briton went all-in to integrate himself with Formula 1's most famous team in 2021, moving his life to Italy. With the academy giving him a framework to develop – and having to live by himself for the first time, hundreds of miles from his family in a country with a different language – Bearman had to grow up quickly, and he says that has given him the tools to seize his opportunities through F3 and F2 and then into F1.

"Looking back to the person that I was [when I moved to Italy at] 16 – I wasn't ready for what the world had to throw at me," he tells me. "It was such a great experience getting thrown in at the deep end, moving to a new country, not speaking the language.

"I knew I had to learn Italian pretty quickly if I wanted to get my pizza and pasta! Maranello is a great city, but it's a bit rural and there's not a whole lot going on at the weekend. I didn't know anyone there. Then I got my car and I was driving round everywhere.

"I had to mature and grow up very quickly. I was also surrounded by adults, all the time, engineers and mechanics, my trainer – so I kind of had to mature to their level as they were the people I was spending time with.

"Then I had my first [F1] test, my first FP1, and it all built up very quickly. It was only six months after my first test that I had my first race. The structure Ferrari gave me really disciplined me into the person I am in today."

Bearman made an instant impression on joining the Ferrari Driver Academy, which is why they pushed to get him a test in a Formula 1 car so quickly (he drove a 2019-spec car at Fiorano) and worked with Haas to get him some experience on a Grand Prix weekend.

That first FP1 came in Mexico 2023 and his performance impressed Ayao Komatsu – who is now Team Principal at Haas – and then boss Guenther Steiner so much, they opted to sign him up as reserve for 2024 while offering him a string of further FP1s.

A first chance at racing in F1, though, came far earlier than anyone expected. Just six months after that first test in Formula 1 machinery at Fiorano, Bearman got the call from Ferrari on the morning of Qualifying day in Saudi Arabia that he was needed to sub in for Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis.

"It was a whirlwind," he recalls. "It was so busy, had to do so many things and learn so many things – and sleep. I was so tired after that first day. I remember in FP3, my neck already went.

"I could feel it kind of twinge. And I was like: 'Oh no, I've still got to do Qualifying, I've still got to do the race. Damn – this one is going to hurt'. It was tough with all the nerves and the adrenaline, but it went well."

"Went well" is an understatement. He missed making it through the top-10 shootout by just 0.036s and then made good progress through the race to haul himself into points contention before crossing the line seventh.

"I'm very aware I was given a break, and I went out there and grabbed it and proved I was capable of being in Formula 1," he says.

Two further super sub appearances came Bearman's way in 2025, both times in place of Kevin Magnussen at Haas, and by then he had already got a full-time deal to make his proper debut in 2025 with the American squad.

His rookie year started on the backfoot when he crashed in first practice for the opening round in Australia – and then spun off on his first proper run in FP3 to lose yet more track time.

He followed that up with three points finishes in a row but further mistakes came in Miami, when he crashed in first practice, and at Silverstone, when he hit the wall at the pit entry. The now 21-year-old very quickly learned his lessons and upped his game.

"That weekend [in Australia] in general was a tough one," he says. "I probably entered the weekend with the wrong mindset. On top of that we had a car which was not the most compliant. It was a really bad start.

"There were a lot of mistakes, in hindsight, I definitely could and should have avoided. It taught me very quickly how do I need to approach a F1 weekend."

The back end of the year was superb as he scored five times in a row, including a brilliant P4 in Mexico. "That was a crazy weekend," he recalls. "We were simply flying. We were really quick and managing to hold off those quick cars and quick drivers."

That put Bearman on the front foot starting his sophomore year in 2026. He finished seventh in race one, and followed that up with eighth in the Sprint and fifth in the Grand Prix in China – but then came the biggest crash of his career in Japan, which he fortunately escaped unharmed.

His mother Terri, who joined us on the shoot for lunch and a tour of Bearman's Monaco apartment, wasn't in Japan and was understandably emotional when she remembers watching it unfold on the living timing and TV.

"It was tougher than I thought," she says. "The irony was, David [Ollie's father] couldn't fly out as he had had his passport taken so he didn't get to go. For me, it's always nice knowing Oliver has got someone there.

"We were watching and on live timing. I could see something happened but there's a delay on the stream. I said to David "he's stopped" – but I didn't know why. Then they cut to him in the wall. I didn't realise how bad the crash had been because the car was stationary.

"Very quickly we got the feedback that everything was fine. The relief came super quick. It has been worse since as you get bombarded by the videos [of the crash]. I don't watch them. It's awful. It's the first time I've had to deal with something like that.

"It's testimony to how safe the cars are. When Oliver hobbled out, I was so upset. He mentioned he did that, as in got out quickly, to prove to us that he was okay. He probably did need to take a breath, but he was worried about us."

As our day together came to a close, there was just enough time to ask about the future. While a Ferrari seat is something on the radar, for now his focus is on getting that first piece of silverware for Haas.

"I'm in a good place," he says. "I'm really happy with the relationship I've continued to build with Haas. I'm enjoying working with them so much – and so proud of the work that we have done as a collective.

"To bring a very competitive car to a huge regulation change is nothing short of incredible. For the scale of our team, it's incredibly impressive. It makes me proud to call myself a Haas driver.

"I still have affiliation with Ferrari and my goal one day is to win races and championships – and hopefully one day I can do that with Ferrari. But really that's not my focus. I want to do as well as I can with Haas.

"P5 in China was incredible, P4 in Mexico was one of the best days of my life. Those are the feelings you live for, it's what gets you up in the morning, what takes you to gym to fight the extra hour to make sure you're that one per cent fitter so when you get in the car you can give it everything and perform at the best. I'm loving every second."

It brought to an end a wonderful day with one of the sport's rising talents. Bearman is every bit as charismatic as he comes across in the broadcast and social media. He was fun to be around and welcoming, kind and thoughtful – he rushed to the aid of a floor manager who walked into a pole when tracking a camera operator walking backwards – while also showing throughout the inner steel needed to enjoy the success he has achieved so far and the success that he's still shooting for.

You can watch the full episode of Off The Grid with Ollie Bearman on F1 TV and YouTube now.