Oliver Bearman’s Formula 1 Race Number Choice and Heartwarming Anecdote
Oliver Bearman, Haas’ newly signed Formula 1 driver, has revealed the story behind his Formula 1 race number choice and shared a heartwarming anecdote about a video message he received from Lewis Hamilton when he was just a kid.
Bearman’s 2025 contract with Haas was announced on Thursday, ahead of the British Grand Prix, marking his transition to a full-time Formula 1 seat after a one-off appearance in Saudi Arabia for Ferrari. As he prepares to take the grid by storm, Bearman opened up about his permanent race number choice, which holds special significance for his family.
“I am going to use 87, that’s confirmed. I didn’t get to choose my number in Jeddah. And first of all, even if I did, that was the last of my worries! It’s the number that I raced with throughout my career, and it’s the number that my dad raced with – because I’m born on the eighth of May, and my brother on the seventh of August.”
Bearman, who will don the #87 number next year, acknowledged that he only received the final nod for the Haas drive after last weekend’s Austrian GP.
“Honestly, until it was finally confirmed after the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, because in Formula 1, until you put a pen on a piece of paper, it’s not really official.”
When asked about racing Hamilton next year, Bearman couldn’t help but reminisce about a video message he received from the seven-time Formula 1 world champion almost a decade ago.
“It’s crazy. And actually, I was looking back, and I received a video from him in like, 2015, or 16, saying ‘keep pushing, hopefully you can make it to F1 one day’. And here I am.”
Bearman credits a family friend for facilitating the video message from Hamilton, which he described as “the most amazing day of my life.”
“I think he met one of my mum’s friends or something like this, and she got him to make a video. And then I just actually got reminded of it yesterday, I saw the video again, and it was a funny moment.”
As Bearman gears up for his Formula 1 debut, he is relishing the opportunity to share the track with his idols, including Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
“It’s crazy to share the track with these guys who I watch racing. Even Fernando, it’s something pretty special, and it’s a pinch-yourself moment, because these guys are, in my eyes, huge stars and someone that I look up to. And it’s quite amazing that I’ll share the circuit with them.”
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