Ferrari teenage ROOKIE Oliver Bearman completed his Formula One debut impressively in Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing seventh. Bearman’s performance earned praise from former world champion Damon Hill stating: “A new star is born”.
At the age of 18, the British racer was only informed that he would replace Carlos Sainz, who was suffering from appendicitis, on Friday morning. However, Bearman performed with the poise and confidence of an experienced racer, picking up points in his first appearance, after just one practice session.
“A star is born now,” wrote Hill, the 1996 world champion, in X.
“Jumping so fast, on a track as intimidating as Jeddah, in a Ferrari, and remaining calm under immense pressure and maintaining consistency… Wow.”
Seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished ninth for Mercedes in a race won easily by three-times champion Max Verstappen ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, applauded his fellow Briton as Hamilton slowed down after the race.
Team bosses and rival drivers also praised Bearman, who is not only the youngest driver in Ferrari’s F1 history, but also the youngest British driver to take part in this event.
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He is also the third youngest racer of all time, after Lance Stroll and Verstappen.
“I’m a little tired,” Bearman said. “As you can see, I didn’t look as good as I could have! It was a fantastic race, keep pushing. I was surprised how fast we pushed, getting faster every lap.
“It was great, especially at the end when I had two guys (Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris) chasing me. I couldn’t relax. I was always looking back, kept pushing all the way, but it was a really exciting and fun race. ”
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He added, “The countdown felt like it was going slower than usual. I thought we managed it really well. They weren’t really chasing from behind and I felt like I had a little bit of an edge if I needed it. I did my fastest lap in the last lap .”
Hamilton and Mercedes teammate George Russell went to congratulate Bearman at the end of the race, both hugging him as he got out of his car.
Bearman was just 18 months old when Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007, aged 22, and when he was told he was behind him in a “push lap,” he said “I was like ‘wow, I’m going to get out of the way!'”
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But he was still ahead at the end of the race.
“He completely deserved it,” said Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished third.
“He did an incredible job. Even in practice, he was straight ahead, and in qualifying, he was just behind Q3 (the final race) by a little bit!
“Today, he was outstanding. Finishing seventh in his first race in F1 after just doing free practice with the new car was really impressive.
“I’m sure he’s very proud, and everyone has realized how talented he is. It’s only a matter of time before he’s established in F1.” (AFP/Z-3)
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