Haas’ Ollie Bearman may be living every petrol head’s dream by racing in Formula 1, but not everyone on his journey has been such a fan of the sport.The British rookie has earned rave reviews during his debut campaign, recording three point-scoring finishes and being very unlucky not to notch many more.Bearman is now becoming a certified starGettyGettyBut he’s long been on the radar as an elite talent[/caption]Long rated as a potential race winner in the pinnacle of motorsport, the Ferrari academy driver also impressed when subbing in for the Italian squad last season, so it’s understandable that his career has been followed intensely up to this point.However, as Bearman revealed to talkSPORT, one important person wasn’t so familiar with him during his driving test.The 20-year-old recalled: “I was racing in Formula 3 so he had no idea who I was. “One of the first questions I asked him was, do you like Formula 1? Just to get a feel of what his stance on motorsport was. “He was a pretty grumpy guy, and he told me, ‘No, I think those guys are absolutely crazy and stupid.’ I was like, ‘Okay, this is going to be a tough 30 minutes.’”As it turned out, Bearman’s half hour was memorable in all the wrong ways for more than one reason.He explained: “Those checkered boxes that you’re not allowed to stop in… Well, apparently you are allowed to stop in them if you’re turning right, and I didn’t quite understand that.“When the instructor told me, ‘no, you’re meant to drive’, he was basically telling me what to do. That’s when I knew it was over. “There was also a stop sign, I did stop, I didn’t completely blow it, but I was creeping apparently. “I mean – apparently – I was definitely creeping. So there you go. I learned the hard way of trying to take the test without any lessons.”Bearman was racing some of the fastest cars in the world when he failed his testGettyDespite the stress of having to go through the ordeal all over again and pass on the second try, it didn’t impact Bearman’s on track performance.The Essex-born star finished third in F3, and showed the kind of raw pace that provoked Ferrari into securing his signature.Sporadic performances in F2 were punctured by a stunning F2 debut in 2024 when he subbed in at Ferrari for Carlos Sainz whose appendix burst and he recorded seventh at the fastest and arguably hardest track on the calendar – Saudi Arabia.It also made Bearman the first Englishman to race for the Scuderia since the 1980s, taking the record off of Lewis Hamilton who had already signed for 2025.Now racing against his countryman on a regular basis, Bearman can’t quite believe it.He explained: “It’s pretty crazy. I’ve been watching Formula 1 since maybe 2013, 2014, so every Formula 1 race I’ve watched has had Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso…Bearman beat Hamilton as Ferrari’s next Brit, and stunned on his Saudi F1 debut“Max [Verstappen] even, he’s been in the sport since 2016, so there’s a lot of these guys who have been there for such a long time and that I’ve really looked up to watching Formula 1 and now I get to share the track with them, which is a pretty special and crazy feeling. “Every now and then you have to pinch yourself that you’re on track in a Formula 1 car living your dream. I think six-year-old me would be incredibly proud.”Six-year-old Bearman may have been unaware he was already a future F1 prodigy, with father David guiding him and brother Thomas to the top of motorsport.A former sports car racer himself, David is still competitive to this day, as his son revealed.“It’s pretty competitive. We always find competition,” he said. “We’re a very competitive family, so no matter what we do, there’s always a lot of competition in it. GettyBearman’s dad has been ever-present this season and in 2024, with both his sons flying in motorsport[/caption]“It’s really nice to have my dad there, who understands to a degree what’s going on, because he had some racing experience. Not quite Formula 1, but that was of course his dream. “By being able to do this, I’m also making him and the rest of my family incredibly proud. “My brother is also doing a great job. He’s racing in Formula 4. Just last weekend, he was on pole in the race and had two podium finishes for his Formula 4 races. He’s doing a great job.“He doesn’t like taking advice from me, so I’m going to let him figure it out. He’s doing really well. He’s been like that since day one, so he’s pretty convinced.”Bearman has recorded four 11th place finishes in his past five races, missing out on points by just a single place.Yet results aside, his talent has been clear from day one, with talent spotter and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko labelling him an ‘A-level’ driver.Antonelli is rated as a future champion, but Marko puts Bearman on the same levelGettyBearman is rated as one of the sport’s best talents by a rival boss“He’s a very fast driver, although he’s had a lot of accidents in Formula 2 and Formula 3 because he takes big risks,” Marko said. “He pushes himself to the limit. He may not reach the top as quickly as [Kimi] Antonelli, but he’s certainly outstanding.”Even with those comments, the big risks look like they’ll keep coming, with Bearman naming an unusual track as the one he’s looking forward to debuting at the most.The Brit has already raced at legendary circuits Silverstone, Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps, but he’s already got his eye on the most gruelling event on the calendar.The Singapore Grand Prix sees cockpit temperatures of 60 degrees and 70 per cent humidity with drivers losing up to 4kgs of bodyweight through sweat.Yet despite those terrifying challenges, Bearman can’t wait, and that’s the kind of mentality that’s already made him one of F1’s most loved and highly rated talents.It sums up Bearman’s personality that he’s already looking forward to the most physically demanding race on the calendarGetty“There are a lot of awesome tracks that we are lucky enough to go to across the season,” he commented. Silverstone was a highlight. Also Monaco. “I’m particularly excited for Singapore. It’s going to be my first time there in Singapore. The second half of the season looks incredible and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it goes.”So are we, Ollie.