Bearman believes ‘clever’ racing is the key to moving forward at home

While Silverstone’s full of opportunities for drivers to carve their way up the order, Oliver Bearman says Qualifying is going to be top of his priority list in Round Four. Realistic about his chances this weekend, the PREMA Racing driver is enjoying the chance to make his home race debut in Formula 3.

Sitting seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with a third of his rookie F3 season under his belt, Bearman’s pleased with the progress he’s making but acknowledges that he’s still got some lessons to learn – that thriving in the Championship isn’t just about being fast but being smart too.

“I'm quite happy overall, the results haven't necessarily been there with from a few errors from my side,” he admits. “Imola was a good example - I had really good pace, but I put myself in the wrong places quite a few times. I bet on that well in Barcelona. From now on, I just need to keep doing the job and try to be a bit cleverer in racing situations and I think it will be good for the second two-thirds of the season.

“I think Barcelona was a decent weekend. We struggled a bit in the Sprint Race, but we fixed it for the Feature Race so I'm quite happy. Qualifying was also pretty strong, but I think we have another step to come. The track is quite different to Silverstone, we suffer a lot with a tyre overheating in Barcelona, which shouldn't be so much of a problem here, so I think the racing will be a bit better. It’ll be an interesting weekend.

“Qualifying is obviously super important, but to be honest you can race a lot here. It’s not the end of the world unlike Barcelona, I think you can come through. However, Qualifying is the priority and something we'll be focusing on and then from there we just have to have to move forward in the races, especially in the reverse grid and score the points.”

Despite his rookie status, Bearman has experience of racing around Silverstone - unlike over half the field. Eager to put on a show in front of the home fans, the demands of Silverstone have caught his interest. That prior knowledge could prove beneficial when eyeing up a move and the British driver’s already spotted the ideal areas to so.

“The easiest places are Stowe and Brooklands, but I think there's quite a lot of overtaking opportunities at the track. A lot of corners like Brooklands and Luffield section, you can follow quite well, you can take different lines so you can be quite close.”

He added: “On the reverse grid, I think we can go from anywhere, overtakes will come in a lot of places. F3 did race here last year, but in 2020 they did two weekends, and the racing was super interesting. It was a good spectacle so I hope we can do that again.”

“A first-time race for me. I'm obviously really excited to race in the UK, I've only done a few races in the UK and never at a Formula 3 level. I love the track as well, it's super high speed - I think it’s one of the fastest of the season. Everything’s good, I enjoy driving here so I’m looking forward to it.

“In F3, we’re not so well known as the British drivers in the higher categories. Some of my friends are coming from home, so that will be quite nice to see them.

“The easiest places are Stowe and Brooklands, but I think there's quite a lot of overtaking opportunities at the track. A lot of corners like Brooklands and Luffield section, you can follow quite well, you can take different lines so you can be quite close.”

He added: “On the reverse grid, I think we can go from anywhere, overtakes will come in a lot of places. F3 did race here last year, but in 2020 they did two weekends, and the racing was super interesting. It was a good spectacle so I hope we can do that again.

“It's hard to set a results-based target and I think it's maybe a bit naive because there's a lot of variables. I just want to always improve, and I think that can already get us in a decent position.”