Carlos Sainz’s victory at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Circuit in the Melbourne Grand Prix, his third behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car, diverted attention from Oliver Bearman’s excellent debut. The Englishman made his Formula 1 debut in the Saudi Aranian Grand Prix, filling in for the Spaniard, who was not able to take part in the Jeddah race due to his appendectomy. The Ferrari junior was impressive in his debut race, finishing in seventh place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, a result which put the spotlight on the young driver from Maranello.
And it was precisely about “Ollie’s” debut that Motorsport.com revealed an interesting behind-the-scenes detail. The Englishman, Ferrari’s third driver, had always used Charles Leclerc’s steering wheel during his simulator sessions.
However, in Jeddah, the Monegasque driver rightly chose to keep the second available steering wheel as a spare. So Oliver Bearman had to use Carlos Sainz’s steering wheel instead. The Spanish driver uses a different configuration compared to Charles Leclerc’s. The main difference is noticeable in the clutch control paddles.
Charles Leclerc uses a single paddle on the right side, just below the gear paddle, while Carlos Sainz prefers to have two controls, one on each side, with a finger grip for insertion.
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As a result, Oliver Bearman found himself having to operate the clutch paddles differently than he was used to. This makes the Ferrari junior’s start even more commendable, as he managed to maintain the 11th position.
Ollie Bearman’s mistake: changes in brake distribution
But the real surprise came later. At the first activation of the DRS, Oliver Bearman pressed the button that Charles Leclerc uses to activate the mobile wing. Unfortunately, on Carlos Sainz’s steering wheel, the same command adjusted the brake bias.
Truth be told, a similar mistake had also happened to Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver, during Abu Dhabi 2023, thinking he was activating the radio, triggered the mechanism for drinking, ending up with a helmet full of water. Not surprisingly, on the SF-24, the button for drinking is no longer on the steering wheel.
Source: f1ingenerale
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