Pearson, who was eighth in the 2020 Ginetta Junior standings, had agreed a deal to drive for Argenti Motorsport in British F4 last season before those plans had to be put on hold when it was discovered that he had bone cancer in his pelvic area.
This was later found to be a particularly rare form of the disease, meaning Pearson needed additional specialist treatment.
The 17-year-old says this has been “going to plan” and he is “feeling very well and feeling ready to get back”.
Pearson linked up with Argenti at Donington Park last week for his first test in the F4 car in over a year - driving the old Mygale-Ford car that is being replaced by a second-generation Tatuus-Abarth model for 2022 - and was delighted to get back behind the wheel again.
“It felt amazing - as soon as I got on track and warmed up, everything clicked and it gave me a massive buzz!” he told Autosport.
“After a year out and with it being my first proper day on slick tyres the pace was actually very good.
“Throughout the treatment, I’ve been going on the simulator and that speed never went.”
The target of returning to competition has helped him through his treatment and he is working on putting together a race programme for this year.
“The aim is to get back out in F4 and get back racing this year – I’m determined to get back out,” he added.
“To get back on the podium again would be a dream come true.”
Pearson also thanked the motorsport world for the support he has received over the past year, including a video message from Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff.
“The motorsport community has helped me out so much,” he said.
“The support and kind messages from other drivers, drivers’ families, teams and fans has been overwhelming. It helps me get through it.”
Testing begins for new British F4 car
The new Tatuus-Abarth car being introduced to British F4 this season has had its first test in the UK earlier this week.
The car, which is also currently being raced in the UAE F4 championship by several British teams and drivers, features the halo cockpit protection device and had not been run on a British circuit until its maiden test at Brands Hatch.
Ginetta Junior graduate Edward Pearson (unrelated to Joel) drove the car for the Virtuosi squad - one of three new teams joining the series for this year - and completed 176 laps as it ran faultlessly.
“For the first test, we have to be very happy with how it has gone,” said Virtuosi F4 team manager Mark Salmon.
“Our engineering team has plenty of data to go away and crunch some numbers, and for Edward, we’ve started to build up his mileage in the car before the season starts.
“The car itself is fantastic for this level. It was our first run out with it, and it’s gone flawlessly, which really gives us the confidence to start pushing the limits straight out of the box.”
