Making a Formula 1 (F1) debut for any team can be a little daunting, but making an F1 debut for Ferrari is downright terrifying. However, that is precisely what Oliver Bearman, known as Ollie, did at Jeddah. Bearman is the 33rd driver to make their debut with the Prancing Horses, but most of those took place decades ago. And like many reserve drivers, his debut came most unexpectedly. Let’s look at his first race, the circumstances surrounding it, and how it stacks up against other debuts.
Why Was Bearman Asked To Race?
As you may know, Bearman is the Ferrari reserve driver, which means he is not expected to race this season. He is there as a backup for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. However, things change quickly in F1, and for any online sports betting fans who had odds on Bearman making his debut in a Ferrari this season, this change was a welcomed sight. On Wednesday’s media day for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Ferrari announced Sainz wasn’t feeling good and returned to his hotel room to recover. The 18-year-old Bearman was also in the building, set to drive for Prema Racing at the weekend’s Formula 2 (F2) event.
Sainz was in the paddock Thursday for Free Practice 1 (FP1), with Bearman preparing for F2 qualifying. After Sainz finished FP1, Bearman took his 4th pole position of the season. Sainz participated in Free Practice 2 (FP2) but was diagnosed with appendicitis the next day. Bearman showed up for the F2 Sprint race, only to be called to Ferrari’s paddock to begin preparing for F1 qualifying with just an hour of practice time in the car. Just past 2 pm, it was announced that Sainz wouldn’t be able to drive.
How Did Ollie Do in His Debut?
Considering the circumstances, he performed as well as you could expect. In Free Practice 3 (FP3), he finished 10th, just behind future Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton and .700 behind teammate Leclerc. After less than an hour of track time in the car, he missed reaching Q3 by just 0.036 seconds, knocking Hamilton out in the process. In the race, he faired much better, finishing 7th place from 11th on the grid, holding off Lando Norris and Hamilton for the final laps of the race, scoring six points on his debut.
How Does His Debut Compare With Other Ferrari Debuts?
Ferrari has a long history of special debuts but few from rookies. So, it is hard to evaluate him against his peers when he was not making his debut as a full-time driver or as a driver with any previous F1 experience.
Nigel Mansell, Juan Manuel Fangio, Giancarlo Baghetti, Kimi Raikkonen, and Fernando Alonso all won on their Ferrari debuts, but most of them were established drivers at that point. By the time Mansell debuted with Ferrari, he had spent three years with the powerful Williams teams of the 1980s. Raikkonen had already won nine races by the time he got to Ferrari and ended up winning the 2007 points championship in his debut season. Alonso was a two-time world champion by the time he debuted with Ferrari.
Ollie has none of that experience. Further, he didn’t have preseason testing to acclimate to the car as all the drivers mentioned above did. With that in mind, his debut was outstanding and a shot in the arm for F1 fans becoming bored with Max Verstappen winning every race in his path. As an 18-year-old, Bearman showed unique composure in the cockpit and was never flustered under the pressure.
What Is His Future?
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur admitted that he was surprised at how few errors the young driver made. He showed the makings of a future star. That said, it is not increasingly likely that he will become a star with Ferrari. Leclerc is the team’s #1 driver and seems set in that role for the foreseeable future. Perhaps Sainz’s seat could have been available, but that was before Hamilton shocked the world with the announcement that he was leaving Mercedes after seven world championships to join Ferrari in 2025.
However, only seven drivers currently have contracts through the 2025 season, so seats will certainly be open. As the silly season approaches, Mercedes already has a seat to fill, while Red Bull may have one if they choose to dispose of Sergio Perez. Both seats would draw movement from smaller teams, meaning seats could open at Williams, Alpine, Haas, and Sauber. Of all the years to make an excellent debut in front of a bunch of team principals, Bearman chose the right year.
Where Does Ferrari Go From Here?
To be sure, Bearman isn’t part of Ferrari’s long-term plans — at least not yet. As we saw with Leclerc, Ollie could start at a smaller team and get the call from Ferrari when the time is right. Either way, Bearman proved that he belongs in F1 with his debut.
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