Ollie Bearman burst into Formula 1 in exceptional circumstances during the 2024 season, when he suited up for Ferrari in Carlos Sainz Jr.'s place due to the Spaniard's emergency appendicitis surgery.
After securing a stunning P7 finish on his debut in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman was touted as a potential star for the near future in Formula 1. He followed up his strong performance in Jeddah with two more Grand Prix appearances later in the season, both times with the Ferrari-affiliated Haas in Azerbaijan and Brazil.
He was later announced as the team's second driver in 2025, joining the experienced Esteban Ocon, and he became one of six rookies to enter the grid full-time this year.
Among this year's crop of rookies, however, Bearman wasn't the big-name star whom most fans were watching. That honor fell on Mercedes' wunderkind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who, at 18 years old, is the youngest driver on the grid.
The young Italian has stepped up impressively so far this year, filling the void left by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and he has already made an impact with 30 points through the opening four race weekends, placing himself sixth in the world championship standings.
However, it is Bearman who should be considered the early frontrunner for the title of best rookie in Formula 1 this season.
Why Ollie Bearman is the early Rookie of the Year favorite
Bearman's start to life on the grid as a permanent driver could not have been worse. During the weekend of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the 19-year-old spun and crashed his car in FP1, with the monocoque of his car needing to be repaired, thus preventing him from featuring in FP2.
In FP3, Bearman beached himself in gravel and brought out another red flag. Issues with his car prevented him from appearing in qualifying, meaning he was forced to make a pit lane start in the season opener.
Despite this adversity, Bearman was the only rookie other than Antonelli to see out the entire race. A week later, in the Chinese Grand Prix, the London native struggled in the sprint race after qualifying P12.
However, he then followed this up with a sensational drive that saw him claim his first point of the season with a P10 finish after he qualified P17 for the Grand Prix. After both Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified, Bearman's final position jumped up to P8.
His qualifying effect in Japan, kicking off the ongoing triple header, was far stronger, and he began the race in P10. With Suzuka's difficulties with overtaking, Bearman managed to hold onto his position comfortably and earned another point.
A week later, Bearman had a torrid time in qualifying in Bahrain and started the race right at the back of the grid in P20. However, his race was one of the best performances of the season to date.
At the end of the first lap, he had already climbed up to P15, and by the end of the race, he had earned yet another point with another P10 finish in what should've also seen him named Driver of the Day. That honor, however, was given to Hamilton.
Your Driver of the Day for Bahrain!! 👊 pic.twitter.com/3ZIF3t5EN7
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 13, 2025
Across four race weekends, Bearman has demonstrated a strong ability to climb up the grid after starting toward the back of the field. Climbing from P20 to P10 in Bahrain and P17 to P10 (before disqualifications) in China are exceptional drives from the second-youngest driver in Formula 1.
What makes this even more impressive, with three point-scoring weekends in a row, is that Bearman is doing this in a car that is firmly in the midfield, and one with which his teammate has been inconsistent, finishing P13 and P18 in Australia and Japan, respectively, with P5 and P8 finishes in China and Bahrain.
Additionally, while Antonelli has been consistently good to start the season, bar his P11 in Bahrain, he is driving a car that is fighting at the top of the standings. His teammate, George Russell, has scored a podium finish in three out of four race weekends, and Mercedes currently sit second in the constructor standings.
Bearman might not have as many points, but his performances show that he is capable of putting his car into the points, even when at a disadvantage.
At this early stage of the season, assuming he can continue putting in consistently impressive performances such as these, there's no reason why he shouldn't be considered the Rookie of the Year over Antonelli, given their respective circumstances.