Oliver Bearman on Nürburgring experience in family SUV: 'Mum was screaming the entire lap'

Oliver Bearman recounted his Nürburgring experience in his family's Audi Q7

Oliver Bearman has recounted his experience at the Nürburgring after Max Verstappen secured his Permit A licence between the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.

At just 15 years old, Bearman joined his parents in their family car, an Audi Q7, for two laps of the historic circuit. With his father behind the wheel and the Haas Formula 1 driver acting as co-driver, his mother lasted one lap before having to exit the car, and they didn't complete the third and final lap they had paid for, as they needed the car for the school run the following day.

"I hope I'm at the stage one day in my career where I can do like Max and just drive whatever he wants and do it for pure passion," Bearman said ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "Of course, I'm not at that stage yet, but it's so impressive to see what he's able to do and shows how talented he is as a driver. It's insane.

"I think he's the best driver that we've ever seen, probably. The fact he's able to rock up to the Nordschleife, I didn't follow it, honestly, properly, but I saw some articles and stuff. It's so cool.

"For a group of us guys who are all just passionate about racing cars, that's so cool to see."

The Briton reflected on his experience at the Nordschleife.

"Only on the simulator. Actually, I did one lap with my dad when I was racing at the GP circuit in German F4. It was during COVID, so we had our family SUV driven from the UK.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Audi Q7. I was like 15, so I couldn't drive. Basically, I was the co-driver. You can buy one or three. We bought three laps.

"We did one with my mum in the back, and I had to go in the front to tell my dad what corner was coming next because I knew the track and he didn't. I was like, 'This one's flat, this one's a lift' or whatever. With this Audi Q7, big SUV.

"Then after that, my mum got out because she was screaming the entire lap. On lap two, we went again and went a little bit quicker. At the end of the lap, we stopped, and the brake fluid was coming out of the calipers.

"That wasn't great. We decided not to do the final lap because we needed that car for the school run the next day."

This comes after Verstappen got behind the wheel of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS in the four-hour ADAC ACAS Cup to acquire the Permit A licence, which is required to race in GT3 and GT4. Having now obtained the licence, the Dutchman is eyeing a drive in the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.

While Helmut Marko told ORF in Baku, "From our side, it’s confirmed. And I believe from his side as well," this is yet to be officially announced.