2024 has been a pivotal year in Oliver Bearman’s career, marking his debut in Formula 1 in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with the Ferrari SF-24, replacing Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had completed FP1 and FP2 before having to withdraw from the weekend due to an appendicitis attack.
Oliver Bearman only had the final free practice session to familiarize himself with the Ferrari SF-24, and he ultimately managed to secure a top-ten finish in the race. The Briton then replicated the same result at the Azerbaijan GP with the Haas team, where he replaced the suspended Kevin Magnussen.
When asked during the *Beyond the Grid* podcast if Ferrari had told him to be ready, Oliver Bearman responded:
“Long before FP1, I went there just to meet the guys and see how things were going. But after [Carlos] drove in FP1 and FP2, and after I took pole in F2, I thought, ‘Okay, it’s going to be a normal weekend. Let’s get back to work in F2 and focus on the important stuff.’ Even the next day, Friday morning, I was getting ready to start 10th in the sprint race because of the reverse grid. I was sitting down for lunch when the call came in.” – he explained.
However, Oliver Bearman almost missed his F1 debut due to his manager running out of credit on his phone:
“As soon as the name came up, I knew what it was about,” Oliver Bearman added, referring to the call from Frederic Vasseur. “First of all, he called my manager, but my manager had run out of credit. So I almost missed the race because my manager hadn’t topped up his minutes! But then I called Fred back, because thankfully I had enough data, and he gave me the news. He told me I’d be racing for Ferrari that weekend. Those three hours between getting the call and jumping in the car for FP3 flew by in a flash.” – the Ferrari junior admitted.
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