Oliver Bearman had to convince his mum to let him leave his grammar school to pursue his F1 dream... the teenager was just one when Lewis Hamilton made his bow but is already adjusting to life in the fast lane - including a TikTok superstar girlfriend

Essex teenager Oliver Bearman will make history at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he becomes the youngest British driver in Formula One.

The 18-year-old took part in qualifying on Friday as a replacement for Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard suffering with appendicitis.

Bearman breaks Lando Norris' record as Britain's youngest F1 competitor, with the McLaren driver having been 19 years, four months and four days old when he debuted in 2019.

He also becomes the 12th Briton to drive for Ferrari, pipping seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to driver's seat ahead of his arrival next season.

Ferrari's reserve driver, who turns 19 in May, will step up from Formula Two for the race weekend in Saudi Arabia - but has already made his impact in Jeddah and has a growing online profile, reportedly dating TikTok star Estelle Oglivy, who has 72,000 followers.

Oliver Bearman, 18, will make his Formula One debut this weekend for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia

Bearman is reportedly dating Estelle Oglivy, who has 72,000 followers on TikTok

The teenager has been called up to replace the ill Carlos Sainz for the Grand Prix in Jeddah

Bearman had topped F2 qualifying on Thursday before being called up for the Grand Prix

Ogilvy often shares her outfits on TikTok and has built up thousands of followers

Oliver Bearman's father, David Bearman prior to qualifying ahead of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

Bearman, driving for Prema, topped the F2 qualifying times at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Thursday but has been withdrawn from their sprint and feature races to make his F1 bow.

It marks a remarkable elevation for Bearman, who will join legends Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on the track this weekend.

He was just 18 months old when Lewis Hamilton made his Formula One debut and was not even born when Alonso, 42, won his first title.

Bearman has shown his exceptional talent from a young age after finishing in the top five in the British Karting GP in 2013, a year after taking up motor racing as an eight-year-old.

He went on to win the Kartmasters British Grand Prix and become the British vice-champion in the cadet class, before moving from cadet to junior level in 2018.

His transition from karts to cars came just four years ago when he competed in the German and Italian F4 championships. Bearman became the first driver to win the title in both championships in 2021, winning 17 races in total.

Bearman's success led to him joining the Ferrari Driver Academy at the end of 2021.

His move to the academy required Bearman to make the bold decision to quit King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford.

Bearman started in motor sport at the age of eight and enjoyed success on the karting circuit

The teenager needed to convince his mother Terri, right, to drop out of his private school

Oliver Bearman's mother Terri shares photographs on Instagram of the family including his father David, younger brother Thomas and younger sister Amelie

Oliver, left, alongside his mother Terri on the right pose during a trip home from Silverstone last July, in another of her Instagram snaps

Lewis Hamilton also broke onto the F1 scene as a talented youngster 

Proud mother Terri shared this of 'our boy' lifting a trophy at Silverstone in July 2022

Bearman dropped out of King Edward VI Grammar School to move to Modena

Bearman won Italian and German F4 championships ahead of joining Ferrari's driver academy

His team-mates at Prema Racing have teased Bearman in recent TikToks referencing his girlfriend

The young driver admitted to Mail Sport last year that his 'pro-education' mum Terri needed convincing to allow him to leave the grammar school, his family and two dogs behind.

Bearman eventually earned his mother's approval join the academy in Modena, located 12 miles north of Ferrari's Maranello factory in northern Italy. He has since developed an Italian twang.

'Maybe I got a bit lucky not to get the Essex accent,' he told Mail Sport last year. 'A lot of people have told me my accent has changed, even if I don't notice it. 

'I spend a lot of time with Italians, and communicating with people whose first language is not English isn't easy, so I have changed my word order and ended up with this everywhere accent.

'When I moved to Modena it happened pretty quickly. It was like going to university two years early, but I have loved every moment so far. My mum was very pro-school and very pro-education, but we managed to convince her in the end.

'I miss my family and my dogs. I have an English bull terrier and a Boston terrier and they are very cute. That is the negative side. But the food in Italy is a big chunk above the English stuff, and the weather is better, too.'

Bearman is reportedly in a relationship with Estelle Ogilvy, who goes by the name Silly Lettuce on TikTok, where she shares her fashion inspiration and various outfits of the day. The couple are believed to be keen to keep their relationship under wraps having shared a photo together on social media this week, before swiftly deleting the snap.

His team-mates at Prema Racing, however, have teased Bearman in recent TikTok videos referencing his girlfriend.

The teenager won two races on the F2 circuit last year competing for Prema Racing

Oliver Bearman, left, alongside his mother Terri in another of her Instagram page images

Bearman drove in practice at the Mexican Grand Prix and was quicker than Fernando Alonso

On the track, Bearman has continued to make progress with Prema on the F2 circuit, winning four races last year.

He will now be the latest driver to graduate from Prema to feature in F1, after Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Oscar Piastri. 

His progression was further highlighted when he drove in practice at the Mexican Grand Prix five months ago.

Bearman, who was born only three months before Fernando Alonso won his first title in 2005, finished ahead of the double world champion.

The 18-year-old described the achievement as an 'added bonus' after taking part for the American team Haas.

He finished 15th in first practice, just 1.6 seconds behind Red Bull's unstoppable missile Max Verstappen and three-tenths short of Nico Hulkenberg, a veteran of 200 starts — in the other Haas.

Bearman was pictured having a seat fitting on Friday ahead of his appearance in qualifying

The 18-year-old will become just the 12th British driver to represent Ferrari in Formula One

Bearman has his own official YouTube channel which features two series called The Bear Necessities, the first following his debut Formula 2 season - including work-out footage

The second series of The Bear Necessities promises a 'much more personal side' to him - including showing off his record collection

The videos also show Bearman put through his paces in the kitchen, taught to cook tortellini

The films from Modena show tackling other challenges while speaking impressive Italian

Bearman, was only 18 months old when Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut, aged 22, and admitted he was shocked to share the track with the legendary driver.

'When I heard Hamilton was coming up behind me on a push lap I was like, "Wow, I will get out of the way",' Bearman said. However, it was Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, who was his boyhood hero.

'I heard Jenson was praising me on Sky, and that was amazing for me,' he added. 'I don't know why, but he was always the guy I loved and really looked up to. It is cool he recognised my performance in practice, and I will try to speak to him here — that is my goal.'

Bearman had been expected to enjoy further F1 practice sessions this year for the Ferrari-powered Haas, but will instead take to the grid for the whole race weekend in Saudi Arabia.