Ollie Bearman says Kimi Antonelli shows what he can achieve in Formula 1, and the Haas driver is carrying that belief into his home race at Silverstone. He is back at the British Grand Prix this weekend with a podium in mind, even if he is not tipping one as the likely outcome.
Bearman and Antonelli at Formula 2
Bearman and Antonelli were team-mates at Prema Racing in Formula 2 before both stepped up to Formula 1. That shared history is why he says they are “not really competing against each other” even though Antonelli finished seventh overall in his rookie season last year, six places ahead of Bearman.
“He generally finishes the race a lap ahead of me,” Bearman said. “I was his team-mate so I know what I'm capable of against him. It proves to me that one day, given the chance, I can do the same.”
Silverstone and last year’s lesson
The 21-year-old’s reference point is his British Grand Prix debut last year, when he finished 11th. He started 18th after a 10-place grid penalty for a crash during practice, then turned that weekend into one of the clearest markers of his pace.
“I definitely learned a lot from last year and I think the positive takeaway was that I was really fast,” he said. He was fourth in Mexico last season as well, and that run remains the best evidence that the podium talk is not empty.
Haas, podiums and the home crowd
Bearman called the chance to stand on the Silverstone podium “incredibly special” and said it is “something that motivates me every day.” Haas have never had a driver on the podium since joining the grid in 2016, so any first top-three finish would sit on a much larger team mark as well as his own.
He is not framing it as a simple target, though. “Given the characteristics of Silverstone, it's not something I'm expecting. But we saw last year that anything can happen,” he said, adding: “I'm really thankful to be back and looking forward to the support of the home crowd.”
That leaves the weekend with a clear shape: Bearman arrives with proof of speed, a direct comparison against Antonelli, and a home crowd behind him. Whether he can turn that into a British Grand Prix podium at Silverstone is the piece of the story still waiting to be written.
