By Balazs Szabo on

Following the season-closing round of this year’s FIA Formula 2 campaign, Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman flew to Japan to take part in his first ever Super Formula test.

Ferrari Academy Driver Oliver Bearman, who made a surprise F1 appearance in three races this year, took part in a Super Formula test last week.

The British driver, who will make his debut as a full-time F1 driver with Haas next year, got to drive one of KCMG’s two Toyota-powered Dallara SF23s which is the car that was driven by Toyota’s WEC ace Kamui Kobayashi.

The test was possible due to the strategic alliance between Haas and Toyota Gazoo Racing that was unveiled earlier this year. The 19-year-old finished the day third, eight tenths of a second behind the field-leading Igor Omura Fraga. Bearman racked up a total of 50 laps at Suzuka, trying to find the limits on the challenging figure-eight circuit in Japan

“I had so much fun. My first time in Suzuka, and I was really happy to run here,” Bearman said. “It’s a very high-speed track, and the Super Formula car was amazing to drive as well.

“It’s much lighter than Formula 2, but the chassis is the same. The dimensions are very similar but the car is much lighter. So definitely in slow-speed corners, you feel it’s much more agile. The Super Formula is a bit slower on the straights because there is no DRS in Super Formula, but in the corners, the downforce is impressive — I could dance with that car today.

“Compared to F1, of course, it’s a bit slower. But the thing that impressed me the most about the Super Formula is the cornering ability. It’s very agile. The change of direction is very fast. It’s much, much lighter than a Formula 1 car. Of course, we are missing a bit of downforce overall, but the driving style is very similar to Formula 1. It just feels like a Formula 1 without DRS, so it’s really, really nice.”

Reflecting on his day, Bearman has revealed that a technical issue prevented him from more running, but he was still happy to gain experience at the challenging Suzuka circuit.

“For sure, it’s been a great test – really useful. I’m sad that I didn’t get to to do all of the laps that I wanted. We had a small issue in the afternoon with the turbo, which failed. But still, I learned what I needed to, and I definitely have a bit more experience going into the race next year.”

“I didn’t really get to push flat-out with new tires in the afternoon, but I still learned the track, which was the main goal of this test,” he noted. “When I come back next year for the F1 race, I’ll be in a much better position.”

The three-day test was open to the public. Bearman drive on Thursday, and it was not surprising that the passionate Japanese fans turned out by the hundreds, hoping to meet the British driver to get an autograph or a photo.

“The fan turnout for a test was the best I’ve ever seen,” Bearman recalled. “I’ve never seen so many people for a test day, and their support has been incredible. They were so kind and respectful, giving me little gifts and really taking time to see me. It was really a special feeling and I was happy to give them as much time and photographs and autographs as I could.

“Big thanks to Toyota that I’m here. I have to say a huge thank you to them for helping me to get this test and make it a possibility. It was definitely a big push for me when I knew it was an option and a possibility.

“I’m very excited to continue working with them into next year. This has been the start of hopefully a great partnership.”


GP Singaporeprevious