Formula One drivers operate at the zenith of physical conditioning, piloting machines capable of exceeding 200mph that most would hesitate to drive at full throttle. Yet, this elite status offers no immunity from ordinary human vulnerabilities. Ollie Bearman, the Haas driver widely tipped for a future role at Ferrari, shares a common phobia with the general public: spiders.
Bearman recounted a personal horror story to Lewis Hamilton during a fan event, describing the terror of waking to an eight-legged creature beside his pillow. Hamilton, standing with teammate Esteban Ocon and Ferrari colleagues Charles Leclerc, reacted with visible dismay.
Standing alongside Ocon, Hamilton, and Leclerc, Bearman delivered the chilling account.
“I got woken up at 2am with a spider next to my head,” he said, prompting gasps from his colleagues. “I swear! I swear! I texted my travel team. I was like, ‘Guys, I’m moving. I’m not staying here.’
Asked for further details, Bearman continued.
“I heard him, kind of walking up to me. I open my eyes, and he was right there,” he said.
“No way!” Leclerc answered, visibly stunned.
When pressed on the size of the creature, Bearman gestured with his hand. “It was like the size of my palm!” he said. “Yes! I swear! I swear! And then I hit him away, I put the torch on, and I couldn’t find him. So when I moved to my new hotel, I haven’t opened my suitcase yet because I’m scared he’s in there.”
Hamilton has been racing and visiting Malaysia for nearly two decades, and he remained surprised to learn of the country’s large arachnids.
“I would have been sleeping in the car!” he laughed. “I didn’t even realise that Malaysia had spiders!
“Oh my god, that changes everything. What?! I’ve been coming for 20 years, I didn’t know that.”
Bearman was likely describing the huntsman spider, which commonly frequents houses and hotels throughout the country. While generally harmless to humans, they do use venom against small prey. Rather than spinning webs, they move quickly across trees, walls, and ceilings.
Photos from F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia- Sunday
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
Bahrain GP in Malaysia – Sunday, in photos
