Oliver Bearman revealed he passed his driving test on the second time of asking in a humerous interaction with journalists ahead of F1 75 Live.
The new Haas driver explained how he failed his first attempt in the light-hearted back and forth prior to the season-launch event at the O2 Arena.
Former Prema team-mate in F2 and fellow F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli recently passed his driving test, which prompted an enquiry into whether 19-year-old Bearman had also checked that task off his to-do list.
"Luckily I passed it a few years ago since you can pass at 17 here [in the United Kingdom], not 18 like Italy," Bearman responded to media including RacingNews365, before admitting: "I did pass second time."
When that was questioned, he replied: "I shouldn't have told [you] that," to laughter from the journalists present.
The FIA dropped the requirement for F1 drivers to hold a valid driving licence mid-way through the 2024 season, but Bearman's concession is not the first time a driver has shared an amusing story about their driving test.
Max Verstappen once detailed how we got on the wrong side of his examiner, despite passing first time. Having made his F1 debut at just 17, the Dutchman was already racing in the championship at that point.
Asked as to why he failed his first attempt, Bearman explained he "didn't stop at a stop sign" completely.
"But I didn't blow it," he continued. "I slowed down, but I was crawling - but you're meant to stop. We don't have those on race tracks, so that was my first sighting of a stop sign.
"But typical me, or typical racing driver, I thought I could pass my test without any lessons. So [that is] probably where I went wrong... I took a few lessons [before the second test], of course."
He added: I've been driving since 2022 now, so a very experienced driver."
Quizzed on what car he drives, Bearman said: "My first car was a One Series [BMW]. Now I have an Alfa Romeo company car. It's wonderful... It's the Finale - yeah, it's crazy."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365’s Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they discuss the brand-new McLaren and Williams cars for 2025! A warning to Max Verstappen from Daniil Kvyat and Red Bull’s plan for this year are other talking points.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
The famous RN365 calendar download is back! Add the 2025 F1 calendar to your schedule with one click and don't miss a second of the new F1 season.
Download the F1 calendarMost read
In this article
Join the conversation!