Ollie Bearman Goes Undercover at Daytona Sandown Park
Daytona Sandown Park was the scene of a very special, and very secret mission when F1 star Ollie Bearman joined forces with Quadrant to take part in a Sprint Race… in disguise.
Step 1: Qualify Dead Last
Armed with prosthetic makeup, a bag of crisps and a new name, 'Gerald Stevens', Bearman looked every bit the ageing amateur. Nodding off in the paddock and hobbling his way around the driver enclosure. When asked if he’d raced before, he casually muttered: “Back in the day… it’s been a while.”
The crowd, told only that a promo video was being filmed with Izzy Hammond, watched on as Gerald lined up at the back of the grid. His challenge? Start last. Win. Reveal.
Step 2: Win the Race
After falling to the back of the grid, holding up traffic and doing battle with Hammond the plan was in place and a last place qualification set him up for the real challenge... overtake the whole field to take P1.
From lights out, 'Gerald' came alive. Within 40 seconds of the 20-minute Sprint Race, Bearman had already carved through eight drivers. Daytona's Monty Grant, who was MC-ing the event, couldn’t help but comment:
“He’s really showing the young guns how to do it… no old man in Gerald’s state should be competing like this.”
At the sharp end, Daytona regular Sienna Greene dominated qualifying to start P1, while Izzy Hammond drew plenty of attention battling at the back of the pack. But the 'old man' was relentless, slicing his way past driver after driver. With just moments to spare, Bearman surged past the leaders and stormed across the line to take victory.
Step 3: Reveal the Truth
As the drivers gathered for the podium, nobody expected the twist. 'Gerald Stevens' peeled away the prosthetics and revealed himself as none other than Ollie Bearman - fresh from racing in the Hungarian Grand Prix just days earlier.
Peeling back a face full of prosthetics, Daytona regulars suddenly realised they’d just been wheel-to-wheel with a Formula 1 driver.
From sleeping in the paddock to shocking the grid, Ollie Bearman’s undercover mission at Daytona Sandown Park was one for the history books.
