Oliver Bearman: since 2007 only two drivers did better in their first F1 race

Oliver Bearman: since 2007 only two drivers did better in their first F1 race. Oliver Bearman secured P7 in the Jeddah race, immediately scoring his first points in Formula 1.

A dream debut
Ollie Bearman’s debut in Formula 1, as the young British driver was called to take part in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by Ferrari to replace the unfortunate Carlos Sainz – who underwent surgery for appendicitis – certainly did not go unnoticed. The Englishman, nurtured in the Ferrari Driver Academy, became the third youngest debutant in the history of the sport, behind only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. But what impressed most was the final result of his race: seventh place, ahead of competitors like Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, a result that earned him the first Formula 1 championship points of his career.

Certainly, debuting in a Grand Prix with the second most competitive car on the grid facilitated Oliver Bearman’s task, but looking back at recent Formula 1 history, it is difficult to find many debuts better than that of the 18-year-old Englishman. We remember vividly the debut of Jacques Villeneuve in 1996, who led the Australian Grand Prix for a long time and ultimately finished second behind his teammate Damon Hill, and of course, that of Lewis Hamilton, third in Melbourne after leading his teammate Fernando Alonso for many laps.

The precedents of Magnussen and Nasr
Since 2007, however, only two drivers have managed to achieve a better result than Oliver Bearman in their first appearance in Formula 1. One is still present on the grid today, Kevin Magnussen, who in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix – the first of the hybrid era – finished second with McLaren behind Nico Rosberg. The Dane, who has never managed to step on the podium again in his career, actually finished third but benefited from Daniel Ricciardo‘s disqualification.

The other name, probably forgotten by many, is that of Brazilian Felipe Nasr. Facilitated by a Grand Prix in which only 15 cars took part, the Sauber driver started tenth and finished fifth in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, achieving in his first attempt what would remain the best result of his short career in Formula 1.