Haas driver Oliver Bearman explained on Tuesday why he initially failed his driving test in 2022.
Bearman, 19, is embarking on his first full season in F1, and he will be among several young stars in the paddock, including 18-year-old Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Bearman said he took two attempts to pass his test. When asked about Antonelli getting his driving license last month, Bearman revisited his own surprising failure.
“I missed a stop sign,” Bearman told a news conference ahead of F1’s 75th anniversary launch event. “I didn’t blow it. I slowed down; I was crawling, but you’re meant to stop.
“We don’t have those [stop signs] on race tracks. Typical me, typical racing driver, I thought I could pass my test without having lessons so that’s probably where I went wrong. After that I took a few lessons.”
Bearman served as a reserve driver for Ferrari last season and made his debut as the the Italian team’s youngest ever rookie, aged 18 years and 305 days, when he stood in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Grand Prix, finishing in seventh place.
He also filled in twice for Haas, finishing 10th in Baku and 12th in Sao Paulo.
F1 preseason testing begins in Bahrain between Feb. 26-28, with the first race — the Australian Grand Prix — scheduled for March 14-16.