Oliver Bearman has named the one driver he dreads to see the most in his rear-view mirrors during Grands Prix.

After impressing in substitute appearances in the 2024 F1 season, Oliver Bearman has endured a tough first half to his first full rookie season in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The full-time drive in 2025 has put the Brit alongside some of the heroes he grew up watching in F1, with Bearman highlighting the lessons he has ‘learnt’ from Lewis Hamilton in his first season at Ferrari.

The lack of points can be attributed to the suboptimal performance of the Haas VF-25, which left engineers racing to improve after Bearman ‘brutally’ proved their fears of the car not reacting well in high-speed, long corners at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this season.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Oliver Bearman has to get his ‘elbows out’ when battling against Fernando Alonso

The Haas driver was asked on the P1 with Matt & Tommy podcast who the scariest driver to have behind him in a race is, to which Bearman replied, “No one’s scary, but one that you know is going to give you a hard time is Fernando [Alonso].

“Whenever I’m starting around Fernando, I know that I’m going to have to get my elbows out big time because he’s a smart fox.”

It’s no surprise that someone of Fernando Alonso‘s calibre would strike a bit of fear into a rookie. The two-time world champion has a vast amount of experience under his belt, having entered a record 416 Grands Prix to Bearman’s 15.

On exactly the same day that Bearman was born in 2005, Alonso secured a second-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix during his first title-winning season driving against the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button.

READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties

How have some of the F1 rookies fared at the midpoint of the 2025 season?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is currently the highest-placed rookie in the drivers’ championship as we head towards the Belgian Grand Prix. Antonelli’s highlight of the season came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he secured his first podium in F1 with a P3 finish.

PositionDriverPoints7Andrea Kimi Antonelli6311Isack Hadjar2116Liam Lawson1218Oliver Bearman619Gabriel Bortoleto420Franco Colapinto021*Jack Doohan*0*

Isack Hadjar has been one of the most impressive rookies of the season, clinching multiple points-scoring finishes after an ’embarrassing’ opening Australian Grand Prix for the Frenchman, which saw him crash on the formation lap.

The Alpine drivers have been the least effective in their short stints so far in the team. Jack Doohan lasted six races before the Enstone-based constructor made the switch for Franco Colapinto, who hasn’t done much better.

Now the Argentine’s future at the team is in jeopardy, with Valtteri Bottas tipped to jump into Colapinto’s seat at a moment’s notice due to the 22-year-old’s race-by-race contract.