Ollie Bearman will make the jump up to the FIA Formula 2 championship in 2023 after just a single season in FIA Formula 3, with the British racer remaining with Prema Racing for his graduation.
Bearman had a successful rookie campaign in Formula 3, scoring one victory and eight podium finishes as he challenged for the title, and his success there followed his double winning campaign of 2021 where he won both the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 titles.
The British racer, who is a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will still only be seventeen when the 2023 Formula 2 championship gets underway next March in Bahrain, but Bearman is excited for the new challenge ahead of him.
“I’m really excited to continue another year with the PREMA family, this time in F2,” said Bearman. “I’m really happy with how my first season went in F3.
“It was a really nice introduction and I felt like the team coached me throughout the year really well. I will continue to work hard over the winter with the Ferrari Driver Academy, in order to be fully prepared for 2023.
“It will be a tough challenge, but everyone works so hard and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I’m already really excited for the test in Abu Dhabi and for the first round of 2023 in Bahrain.”
Rene Rosin, the Team Principal at Prema Racing, admitted everyone was amazed with how quickly Bearman adapted to Formula 3 machinery in 2022, and he is confident that the British racer will do likewise in Formula 2 next year.
“We were amazed by how quickly and successfully Ollie transitioned from F4 to Formula 3 racing,” said Rosin.
“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 as well.
“It won’t be easy, because the step from F3 to F2 is considerable, but we are confident in his potential for the season ahead.”
