Home Turf: Ollie Bearman on Racing at Silverstone

Now, as a full-time F1 driver, it brings a mix of pride, familiarity and the added buzz of racing in front of a home crowd.

Ahead of one of the most anticipated weekends on the calendar, Ollie discusses what makes Silverstone so special – from its historic character to its high-speed challenge – and how his connection to the circuit has evolved, from cheering on his idols to becoming one of the names fans now come to see.  

Last year, you drove around Silverstone with Martin Brundle in classic 1950s F1 cars. What was that experience like?  

“It was pretty cool and fantastic experience to see how the sport has developed, and I really enjoyed it. It was totally different from what I was expecting and to everything that I’ve been used to driving.

“The cars were so incredibly fast back then, and they kind of feel out of place on modern tracks because you see the videos of them being driven in between hay bales and tires. I was really happy to have been given the opportunity to drive them.”

Silverstone has always been a popular circuit with drivers. Why is that?

“I think particularly with this era of car, they tend to come alive on a circuit like Silverstone. With the cars being slightly heavier, and a lot of low-speed tracks where the car lacks some agility, driving on a track like Silverstone with all its high-speed corners is where this generation of cars just feel fun to drive.”

The British crowd is often described as one of the best in the world. How does the atmosphere at Silverstone compare with other circuits?

“It’s incredible, and I particularly think the crowd is incredible to everybody. It’s one of the highest attended races of the year, and on top of that it’s my home race, so that makes it even better.

“I consider myself very lucky to have Silverstone as my home race. I enjoy every second of it from arriving to the track on Thursday to leaving on Sunday night.”

As it's your home race, do you approach Silverstone with a different mindset compared to other races?

“I try not to because in the end it’s just another race and it all counts for the same amount of points. If you add more pressure to yourself it’s not a good thing, and I try not to, but naturally there is always a bit more.”

We’ve all seen the interview where you pointed out you were the child cheering for Sebastian Vettel on the podium – did you ever imagine then you’d one day be racing at Silverstone yourself?

“No, for me it felt out of reach and impossible to do that at the time, but it’s cool to see the journey, and I’m really proud. Looking back at those moments is always a nice thing to do.”

It was at Silverstone in 2024 when you were announced to become a full-time Formula 1 driver with Haas – that was only two years ago, but a lot has happened in that time. How do you think you’ve changed since then?

“A lot’s changed – I’ve grown up a lot in those two years. I feel like I’ve matured as a person, as an athlete and as a driver, as well as learned a lot about myself, putting myself in difficult situations and figuring my way out of them.

“I feel I’ve also become a more well-rounded driver as well, but I still see a big journey ahead of me.”

Last year, both you and your brother Thomas were racing at Silverstone over the same weekend – that must’ve been a busy one for your family. Was it nice to be able to support each other?

“It’s quite a rare moment. In karting, we used to race on the same weekends all the time, as he was only one category below me.

“In single seaters though it became a lot rarer, especially because of our age gap. Hopefully he’ll soon be racing in Formula 3 and then we’d be sharing a lot of the same race weekends.

“To have that one-off last year though, especially at Silverstone, was incredibly special.”

You first raced at Silverstone back in 2021 in GB3, and subsequently in F3 and F2, but just how different and special is it to race there in F1?

“It’s another world in Formula 1. The track is high speed and it feels like it’s made for F1 cars. I remember my first ever time there was with an F3 car, and that was incredibly fast at the time, but now when I look back, it was actually incredibly slow.

“A lot of things have changed, but any car with good downforce is really fun to drive. I’ve also driven a GT3 car at Silverstone and that was also fun. The track lends itself to any race car, but particularly Formula 1, it feels a step above.”

With all that experience, what would you say is your favorite part of the circuit?

“The track has an incredible flow. I don’t think that there’s one corner that I love more than others. I think they all complement each other well.

“There’s some nice compound corners but also some good combinations. The very famous part is Maggots and Becketts which is really cool, but I’m a big fan of the entire track and there’s not just one section that defines Silverstone.”