Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman recently talked about how Lewis Hamilton sent a heartwarming message to him in 2016, long before the young Brit was announced for F1. Bearman would soon race in the top single-seater series with Haas from 2025.

Speaking on the “High Performance” podcast, Bearman recalled how he received a message from Lewis Hamilton after he won the British Karting Championship in 2016. The Ferrari junior said that Hamilton congratulated him and urged him to keep pushing forward. He added that he only received the message recently.

Later on, he added that it was an honor for him to join other F1 drivers on the grid from 2025.

“Actually, I received a video message from him in like 2016. I just won the British Karting Championship and I think, you know, through a friend he sent me a message and said congratulations, and, you know, keep pushing and stuff like this,” Bearman said (2:42).

“I only re-received that recently but, you know, it just shows that I was looking up to these guys and now one day, you know, in the future I will share the track with them. It’s an honor,” he added.

Refer to the full video by “High Performance” podcast below:

Oliver Bearman is an F2 driver and currently drives for Prema Racing alongside Mercedes junior, Kimi Antonelli. In March this year, Bearman had a golden opportunity to drive for Ferrari in the Saudi Arabian GP, replacing Carlos Sainz who was diagnosed with appendicitis. The youngster impressed the entire paddock with his on-track performance by qualifying P11 and securing P7 in the race.

Though he was already considered a strong candidate to enter the sport, his debut in Saudi Arabia was a catalyst in his journey to F1. As the driver market shuffled, Bearman got the chance to enter the sport with the Haas F1 team.

Oliver Bearman on how Lewis Hamilton congratulated him after his F1 debut

Oliver Bearman also recalled his F1 debut in Saudi Arabia and how he managed to keep both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton at bay to secure P7 in the Grand Prix. The Ferrari junior also talked about how the Mercedes star congratulated him for his first race in F1.

Speaking to the “High Performance” podcast, he said:

“Yeah I mean he [Lewis Hamilton] was the first one to like see me after the race. He, you know, shook my hand and and congratulated me. Of course, that was a very special moment, you know, having watched this guy who’s been racing in F1 since I was born, and to finally share the track with him,” Bearman said (at 2:25).

As of now, Oliver Bearman will complete his F2 championship in 2024. He is currently 15th in the championship table with 34 points.