Damon Hill has now issued a four-word verdict on Oliver Bearman after the Ferrari driver replaced Carlos Sainz for his F1 debut in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP.
The Scuderia informed Bearman at 13:30 local time in Jeddah (10:30 GMT) on Friday that he would be standing in for Sainz this weekend. Ferrari had to rush into promoting their reserve driver at short notice after Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and would require surgery.
Sainz underwent a successful operation after feeling too unwell to continue competing after driving in first and second practice. Bearman was already in Jeddah to compete in Formula 2 and also sealed pole position for the Feature race. But the 18-year-old is now debuting in F1.
Oliver Bearman qualifies P11 on his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP
Bearman joined the Ferrari driver academy back in 2021 at just 16 years old. He only moved to racing single-seaters in 2020 after a trophy-laden karting career. Bearman also went on to win the 2021 ADAC and Italian F4 championships and took third in the 2022 F3 standings.
Four wins in his rookie F2 campaign last year also saw Haas run Bearman in free practice for the 2023 Mexico City GP and Abu Dhabi GP. Now, Bearman will become the youngest British driver to ever race in Formula 1 when he makes his race debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.
Damon Hill praises Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman in Jeddah
Bearman will make his F1 Grand Prix debut for Ferrari from 11th place on the grid in Jeddah, having narrowly missed out on Q3. The teenager crossed the line with a flying lap time only 0.036 seconds slower than the best time that Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton had set in Q2.
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc proved what the VF-24 was capable of offering by posting a lap 0.530 seconds faster than Bearman’s in Q2. The Monegasque’s lap was the second-best in Q2. Leclerc also finished qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP in P2 after his 1:27.791 Q3 lap.
But Bearman still impressed 1996 F1 champion Hill with his efforts on debut for Ferrari. The ex-Williams driver simply exclaimed on X about his qualifying: “Excellent effort by Bearman”.
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