F1 star Oliver Bearman to open Autosport International Show 2025 at the NEC
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver Oliver Bearman will be kicking-off the most exciting year of his career by opening the Autosport International Show (ASI), Europe’s biggest dedicated motorsport exhibition, at the NEC in Birmingham in January 2025.
Bearman, who will embark on his first full season in Formula 1 next year with MoneyGram Haas F1, will cut the ribbon to open ASI at 9am on Saturday January 11, the first of the four-day show’s two that are open to the public. The appearance will offer F1 fans their first golden chance to see and hear from Ollie ahead of his much-anticipated rookie season, with Sky F1 commentator David Croft interviewing him on the main stage during the day to gain insight into the 19-year-old’s grand prix preparations.
A stand dedicated to Bearman, featuring the Formula 4 car in which he won both the German and Italian national championships in 2021, will be included at ASI to launch Oliver’s own brand of merchandise. A MoneyGram Haas F1 car will also feature in a display that will mark 75 years of the F1 World Championship.
Bearman is already the youngest British driver to start an F1 grand prix, following his sensational debut for Scuderia Ferrari earlier this year in Saudi Arabia, where he was a last-minute substitute for Carlos Sainz Jr. The teenager became the third youngest of all to start an F1 grand prix and the first Englishman to represent Ferrari since Nigel Mansell, on his way to a stunning points-scoring seventh place finish.
Bearman subsequently signed to race for Haas in 2025 but was also called upon to make his second F1 start as substitute for Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan GP, where he impressed and scored again by finishing a superb 10th, becoming the first driver in history to score points for two different teams in his first two races.
“It is amazing to think I will be opening the Autosport International show, ahead of my first full season in Formula One with MoneyGram HaasF1,” said ASI marketing lead Richard Griffiths.
“The show has been going on for longer than I have been alive and has always been something racing fans really look forward to. We love our motorsport in Britain and I am look forward to meeting the fans that I will hopefully see at Silverstone later in the year at the British Grand Prix!
"Autosport International is the premier event for racers and fans, and we’re excited to announce that Oliver Bearman, a rising British star in Formula 1 with the MoneyGram Haas F1 team, will be joining us. Formula 1 remains the pinnacle of motorsport, as reflected by our enthusiastic visitors. This January, we also celebrate 75 years of F1 with cars on display representing the decades, so come and join us as Oliver opens the doors and welcomes everyone to this spectacular show!”
Legendary among motorsport fans, the four-day ASI will run from 9-12 January 2025 in the halls of Birmingham’s NEC and will be split into two sections: a two-day trade show for industry professionals and a two-day public show. The show draws in crowds in their thousands each year. In fact, the 2024 event saw 90,000 fans and industry professionals flock to the NEC.