Oliver Bearman’s debut in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit was anything but easy, under the pressure of driving a Ferrari car at the age of 18, with thousands of eyes watching. And the young man delivered the task excellently, even finishing in the points. But this result is just the tip of the iceberg: behind the debut are months and months spent in the Maranello simulator, years in the Ferrari Academy, and some kilometers driven at Fiorano.
Hard work that laid the foundation for a gateway to his dream (or, at least, that’s the hope).
In a recent interview given to the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, English senior performance engineer Jock Clear, now head of the Ferrari Driver Academy program, talked about how the drivers of the new generations prepare: “Today Formula 1 requires you to be efficient in what you do. When Jacques Villeneuve debuted with Williams in 1996, he had behind him 27,000 kilometers of tests faced during the winter. The same happened later with Montoya. Then it was normal, but it was also very expensive. Instead, think that Ollie will have done at most three thousand kilometers, on cars from 2021 and 2022, nothing compared to the regular drivers. Yet he proved immediately ready.” – Jock Clear pointed out, as reported by the Italian newspaper.
“The performance in Saudi Arabia was the validation of all the work done in the factory on the simulator. There, Ollie had the opportunity to drive this year’s car, from November to March, alongside Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in development. […] I remember that Michael Schumacher felt sick as soon as he did a lap in the simulator. Instead, Ollie Bearman grew up with it.” – the English senior performance engineer added.
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The Brit then wanted to underline an aspect that may pass into the background but is fundamental in scouting young talents: “Those who discover talents in karting or in Formula 4 expect fast guys. But speed is not everything. Intelligence matters more, understood as the mental ability to process information quickly and manage complicated situations. This is what makes the difference in Formula 1. From the beginning, Ollie impressed us with this ability. I remember one of the first times I followed him, in the Formula 4 Tricolore at Monza, everyone said he only won because he had the best engine.” – he continued – “But that weekend he was forced to replace the engine, he qualified behind, and yet he won all three scheduled races, clinching the title. So I’ve always believed he would shine more, approaching Formula 1, and in Jeddah, we had proof of that […]. In many years, I’ve never seen such an impressive debut from an 18-year-old racing in Formula 2.” – the head of the Ferrari Driver Academy program concluded.
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