The appendicitis that struck Carlos Sainz gave Oliver Bearman the opportunity to debut in Formula 1 at the wheel of the Ferrari, reconnecting with the threads of history from 1972 when Arturo Merzario made his debut in the premier motorsport formula driving a car designed by the Maranello team.
Oliver Bearman became the third youngest driver in history to debut in Formula 1, following Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll in this special ranking. On the challenging Jeddah circuit, he came close to reaching Q3 – only 36 thousandths separated him from Lewis Hamilton – ultimately finishing the race in seventh position ahead of compatriots such as Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton (the latter, a true gentleman, assisted him in exiting the cockpit in Parc Ferme, as the Ferrari Driver Academy member was completely exhausted after his first Formula 1 race).
Oliver Bearman’s performance did not go unnoticed and received unanimous praise. Max Verstappen closely monitored his first laps in the final free practice session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and confirmed that Ollie Bearman convinced him already in the second lap. Lewis Hamilton, in addition to compliments, rejoices because Oliver Bearman’s success is evidence of the excellence of the Ferrari SF-24. Even Toto Wolff had significant words for the 18-year-old, highlighting the high level of Formula 2 (a consideration also aimed at keeping the stock of the Mercedes junior, debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli, high in the F1 waiting room).
Helmut Marko even ventured into a substantial comparison to express his admiration for Oliver Bearman, but he also emphasized that in some ways, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur now faces a problem of abundance: “Oliver Bearman’s debut with Ferrari was sensational – Helmut Marko shared his opinion in his new ‘column’ hosted by the site speedweek.com – at times, he was almost on par with Charles Leclerc on a challenging circuit like Jeddah. But now, what does Ferrari do? They already have Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, both with long-term contracts, and Oliver Bearman is a super talent.” – the Red Bull advisor pointed out.
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“If I were Fred Vasseur, I would find a seat for Bearman in Haas, for example, right away. It is true that young drivers now come to their debut very well prepared, but it is only if you truly have talent that you steal the show. For me, Bearman has impressed as much as Pedro Acosta in MotoGP. Watching Pedro Acosta attack Marc Marquez was definitely refreshing, just like following Bearman’s debut with Ferrari, and these are the things that people want to see.” – Helmut Marko concluded.
