During the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second event of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Oliver Bearman, an 18-year-old from the Ferrari Driver Academy competing in Formula 2 with Prema, made his Formula 1 debut. He became the youngest to do so aboard a Maranello team single-seater. The Englishman was called up by the Scuderia just before the start of the third and final free practice session to replace Carlos Sainz, who underwent emergency appendectomy surgery.
Oliver Bearman secured the 11th starting position for the Jeddah race, where he finished seventh, earning his first World Championship points in the top category. Guiding Oliver Bearman through his Formula 1 debut with the Maranello team weekend was Riccardo Adami, Carlos Sainz’s race engineer, who was also present in the Ferrari garage.
“It was quite challenging to organize everything in such a short time because we found out that Carlos was in the hospital two and a half hours before FP3,” said Riccardo Adami. “But we were still prepared, and we started by explaining everything to Ollie, especially to avoid damaging the car, our primary objective. Step by step, we combined our experience with Oliver’s, also considering the past tests we had done, creating a list of essential things to focus on before moving on to starting procedures, pit stops, long runs, and qualifying, which were very difficult to prepare for given the traffic to manage along with the maximum time allowed between the two Safety Car lines. Obviously, for a rookie to step into a Formula 1 car is very difficult. We tried to provide him with as much information as possible despite the limited time available. Another thing that happened quickly was having to inform the FIA of the driver change. So, they came to our garage to prepare and check the car modifications.”
“There were no real critical moments in the race where we had to support Oliver because we tried to create the best possible environment for him, relieving the pressure he had on himself, which was the most difficult thing to manage. We supported him by trying to find the right balance, providing information but also encouraging him to express his pure talent.”
“We gave him lap times considering race aspects, the most challenging part since he drives in Formula 2, but still a category that prepares for F1 in all technical aspects, but he had never raced over such a long distance. We tried to find a point of contact to know also how he was feeling physically, where he suffered a lot, especially in the last laps when Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton approached from behind. A very difficult moment for him, but I tried to give him all the information while still keeping him calm to make him perform at his best.”
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“Oliver’s feedback was excellent. We worked together during tests and in the simulator, so he was already part of the team. Obviously, compared to Carlos, he is a step behind because his experience is not yet at the same level. I had to repeat the information we had given him and all the basics, as well as supporting him lap after lap, from start to finish, without confusing him. He is very different from Carlos, but it was nice, especially when I saw him going fast, performing at the top, and he was very happy.” – Riccardo Adami pointed out.
“Managing overtakes was one of the most difficult situations in the race because he only went out on track for one free practice session to prepare for the whole weekend. We had little time to understand how to manage energy, battles, and overtakes. Of course, we can do all the simulations possible in addition to the tests, but the reality on track is different. We tried everything to give him the information to allow him to be ready. The only experience he had was with overtakes to get to the starting grid. It took him a few laps to figure out how to pass Nico Hulkenberg, but he managed everything quite well.” – he added.
“I was surprised by several things during this weekend. Again, he had zero preparation, but he showed all his talent, but above all, how fast he is at learning and executing what we had discussed before the race. For example, the radio button got stuck. I had explained in the briefing that there were two on the steering wheel, and he immediately managed to react. In general, he absorbed all the information we gave him like a sponge.” – the Ferrari race engineer concluded.
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