Haas F1’s Oliver Bearman departed Suzuka Circuit having accomplished all that he set out to in a guest appearance at Friday’s Super Formula rookie test day.
Through the strategic alliance between Haas and Toyota Gazoo Racing that was unveiled earlier this year, Bearman was able to drive around the famous figure-eight circuit in Japan ahead of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix in April. He got to drive one of KCMG’s two Toyota-powered Dallara SF23s — specifically, the car that was driven by Toyota’s WEC ace Kamui Kobayashi.
The 19-year-old British driver gave ringing endorsements to both the circuit and the car after 43 laps around Suzuka.
“I had so much fun. My first time in Suzuka, and I was really happy to run here,” Bearman said. “It’s a very high-speed track, and the Super Formula car was amazing to drive as well.
“It’s much lighter than Formula 2, but the chassis is the same. The dimensions are very similar but the car is much lighter. So definitely in slow-speed corners, you feel it’s much more agile. The Super Formula is a bit slower on the straights because there is no DRS in Super Formula, but in the corners, the downforce is impressive — I could dance with that car today.
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“Compared to F1, of course, it’s a bit slower. But the thing that impressed me the most about the Super Formula is the cornering ability. It’s very agile. The change of direction is very fast. It’s much, much lighter than a Formula 1 car. Of course, we are missing a bit of downforce overall, but the driving style is very similar to Formula 1. It just feels like a Formula 1 without DRS, so it’s really, really nice.”
Because he’d driven three races in F1 already as a relief driver for Ferrari and Haas, Bearman could no longer take part in the young driver tests at Abu Dhabi after the season. But he could take part in Super Formula’s last day of a three-day official test, alongside other rookie drivers hoping to land a full-time seat in the Japanese series in the near future.
His time behind the wheel was productive, despite a minor mechanical issue in his No. 7 KCMG Dallara-Toyota, and any apprehension he might have had trying to communicate with his Japanese engineers quickly dissipated as both parties communicated in fluent English.
