On March 7th, Saudi Arabia welcomed Formula 1 for the fourth annual Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 10 teams geared up to race on Jeddah’s Corniche Circuit, with Red Bull and Ferrari expected to lead Sunday’s race and finish on the podium.
Ferrari, however, experienced an unexpected shake-up on the morning of qualifying when their Driver, Carlos Sainz, was diagnosed with appendicitis. Although he had completed Free Practices 1 and 2, doctors advised him not to compete for the remainder of the weekend. With the diagnosis came an impending surgery, and an open Ferrari Seat.
Luckily, each team has reserve drivers for this exact situation. These drivers are promising young drivers, often stars in Formula 2, set aside for if an F1 driver cannot take part in the race. Ferrari has three reserve drivers, including an extremely talented 18-year-old named Oliver Bearman.
Promptly after the announcement that Sainz’ would not be taking part in Saturday’s Sprint Race and the Grand Prix, it was also announced that Prema Racing’s Oliver Bearman, as a reserve driver, would take his place. The exciting news came after he had already competed in F2 qualifying earlier in the day. Bearman was to replace Sainz and jump straight into Free Practice 3 with the Ferrari car that very same day after he completed an FIA test to meet safety regulations.
The F2 racer was born in 2005 in Chelmsford, England, just northeast of London. In 2013, at just 8 years old, he began karting at the club level. As a 15-year-old, he stepped up into a car, eventually winning 2 F4 championships the following year. At the end of 2022, he had secured a spot on F2’s Prema racing team for the 2023 championship season.
By January of this year, in only his second season in F2, Bearman became Ferrari F1’s reserve driver. He was also later announced to be a reserve driver for Haas F1, Ferrari’s customer team.
Bearman ended up finishing 11th on the qualifying grid in Saudi Arabia, beating his own F2 pole time by more than 13 seconds- an incredible amount of time in racing standards. Although he did not make it to the third qualifying session, he was only 0.036 seconds behind 7-time world Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Finally, race day came, and Bearman climbed into his ride. With an impressive feat, he finished 7th overall, scoring six points for Ferrari and finishing ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by more than three seconds.
Bearman’s debut received much praise for his spectacular performance, such as from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Team Principal Fred Vasseur. “I think he has shown the whole paddock what he was capable of,” said Leclerc, “and I think after a performance like that, it’s a matter of time before we see him permanently in the Formula 1 paddock.”
Famed motorsport journalist David Tremaye even called Bearman’s debut “one of the most accomplished and impressive” debuts he has seen in his 36 years of reporting on F1.
So what is Bearman going to do after such a remarkable race? After performing so well on 2 hours’ notice in a car he had never even driven before, and pulling off a point-scoring finish in his first grand prix, it’s obvious the 18-year-old has the talent for F1.
With 13 driver contracts set to expire at the end of this F1 season, it’s a possibility that teams might consider Bearman to take one of their seats. Rumors of other young drivers taking some of the hottest seats in the paddock have gone around, too. F2 Prima Racings’ Kimi Antonelli was rumored to be taking Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat when he makes his move to Ferrari. However, those rumors were shut down by Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1’s team principal, who said that he is looking to have Antonelli join Mercedes in the long run when he has more racing experience. Antonelli is only 17 and in his first season of F2.
Nevertheless, many teams seem to have their eyes on young rookies moving up to the biggest league in motorsports, especially on a young Ollie Bearman, after proving himself in a most extraordinary Formula 1 Debut.
