I expected my debut season in Formula 3 in 2022 to be one of learning, building and focusing, but it didn’t end up being that way. After Silverstone, which was round four, I had a turning point and I started to get some good results. At the end of the year, I was only seven points off the championship, which subsequently was enough to get me up to F2.
Being with Prema for F3, if you get a decent result there’s almost always a seat for you in F2. I am quite confident in my management, Ferrari and Prema, in that whatever decision we took would be the right one. When I found out that I had the drive in F2, it was a surprise, but a very good one.
This season started with testing in Bahrain, which was successful, but the racing was difficult. We went to Jeddah, and I was on the front row. Ever since then, I have had no doubt in my ability to put a lap together and the team’s ability to give me a car capable of being up there. That weekend still came with its challenges as we had a DNF in the sprint race, which was completely out of my control, and I made a mistake in the feature race and threw away my first chance at a podium.
The management of races is something that has taken me a bit longer to come up to speed with. Compared to F3, there is a lot more happening. For example, knowing when to push and when to save your tyres. The F2 car punishes every mistake you make, so you need to be super-disciplined.
From Baku (in April) onwards I felt at ease with the car. You only get that kind of feeling when you know you’re going to be fast. Whenever I do have that feeling with the track and the balance, I know it’s going to be a decent weekend. In qualifying I made a mistake but managed to put a lap in for my first pole position, which was amazing. Throughout the rest of the weekend, I stuck to the basics and executed two clean races, especially in race two, where I controlled the field. Another bonus was that I made history by being the first driver to top every session over the weekend.
INSIGHT: How Bearman’s Baku double stacks up in historic junior single-seater feats
Source: Autosport