Ollie on holiday in Sweden completing side quests :)

F1 driver Ollie Bearman broke the track record – in Varberg

Suddenly, Formula 1 star Ollie Bearman appeared at the Varberg go-kart track with his sights set on the track record.

But it took several days – after a serious effort that required both help from his family and optimisation of the go-kart.

"We had to cool the engine with a leaf blower," he says.

It was during Bearman's holiday in Sweden that the F1 star's girlfriend's family challenged him to break the track record at the local go-kart track in Varberg. Something he confidently expected to be able to do on his first attempt.

But what the Brit didn't know at the time was that it would require several days of effort, and suddenly his holiday turned into something completely different. "Every trick in the book"

"I thought it would be easy. But on the first day, I was three or four tenths behind. It was a short lap, around 29 seconds, so I had to be extremely careful and try every trick in the book," he told the Motorsport website.

But despite this, the Haas driver, who is making his first full season in Formula 1 after previously stepping in as a reserve driver for Ferrari, was defeated on the first day.

On day two, the 20-year-old stepped up and took action: thinner clothing and removing parts of the chassis to keep the weight down, getting his girlfriend to act as pit crew and another driver to slipstream behind him on the straights. "He should be driving in Formula 1"

"It became a super serious mission. On the last day, we put on new tyres and lowered the tyre pressure after each lap. I have pictures of me and my girlfriend removing the petrol from the go-kart to make it lighter. We had to cool the engine between laps with a leaf blower.

Finally, after several attempts, Bearman set the new record: 28.97. On the track's social media, the star poses next to the record.

The F1 star himself had no idea who the mysterious miracle man was who held the previous record.

"No idea, but he should be driving in Formula 1 anyway," Bearman concludes.

But SVT can reveal that his name is Elton Zewenacht, 23, and that he himself aims to become a racing driver one day.

"I still have a dream that I want to start competing," he says.

ROUND 13: 🇧🇪 Belgium

FORMULA 1 MOËT & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2025

Circuit stats

• First Grand Prix: 1950
• Number of laps: 44
• Circuit Length: 7.004 km
• Race Distance: 308.052 km
• Lap record: 1:44.701 Sergio Perez (2024)
• 2024 winner: George Russel

Track Map

ROUND 13: 🇧🇪 Belgium

FORMULA 1 MOËT & CHANDON BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2025

Circuit stats

• First Grand Prix: 1950
• Number of laps: 44
• Circuit Length: 7.004 km
• Race Distance: 308.052 km
• Lap record: 1:44.701 Sergio Perez (2024)
• 2024 winner: George Russel

Track Map

https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/24/formula-1-to-test-new-driver-identification-branding-on-cameras-at-belgian-gp/

https://press.pirelli.com/sprint-with-a-jump-in-compounds-in-the-ardennes/

Weekend is supposed to be quite cool and overcast with possible rain, so C1 may be hard to switch on. Hopefully we'll see some varied strategy.

First 20 minutes is very scientific, then it gets more practical. Also explanations of the SpyGate scandal and how the inerter/J-Damper was involved in that.

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2023 - Andrea Stella, Fred Vasseur, James Vowles 2024 - Ayao Komatsu 2025 - Andy Cowell, Jonathan Wheatley, Flavio Briatore, Laurent Mekies, Alan Permane

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