Oliver Bearman has come into the spotlight after Ferrari asked to replace Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian GP. The British driver got the chance to make his ideal Ferrari debut after securing pole position in the F2 just one day earlier. Though it was his first F1 weekend, the 18-year-old has astonished the entire F1 community. His racing abilities were flawless on the challenging street circuit in Jeddah. Moreover, Bearman’s faultless driving has also surprised Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur. This is because Bearman, besides his skillful driving, also grabbed some crucial points for the team by finishing at P7.
During his conversation with Motorsport.com, Vasseur said, “The fact that he completed a short weekend without two free practice sessions without making a single mistake is unreal to me. I think, like everyone else, that Ollie delivered a fantastic weekend.”
Indeed, the effect was so great that the 55-year-old, despite having earlier stated that he didn’t want to put any pressure on the rookie, later claimed to have asked Bearman if he could ‘push a little bit harder.’
Ferrari #F1 boss Fred Vasseur says Oliver Bearman matched “unrealistic” expectations with a faultless maiden grand prix weekend at the #SaudiArabianGP
Full story ⬇️https://t.co/oh45mE3Fui
— Autosport (@autosport) March 10, 2024
Nevertheless, Bearman himself is to blame for these rising expectations. The reason behind it is that the 18-year-old could only drive the SF-24 during the last practice session. He completed many laps on medium tires for the long run and did some qualifying runs too. In the end, the Prema driver impressed everyone when he finished P10 with a best lap time of 1:29:306 in FP3. Bearman also performed excellently in Q1 and Q2 and came very close to qualifying for Q3.
What else did Frederic Vasseur say while explaining the complex situation of Oliver Bearman?
When news broke that Carlos Sainz would miss the remaining Saudi Grand Prix because of his appendicitis surgery, Ferrari found themselves in a difficult situation. However, the team maintained its trust in Oliver Bearman to lead them around the track and earn some important points.
Because of their trust, the 18-year-old could showcase his abilities and keep Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris at bay. His performance has also been rated so highly given it has come on a street track.
P11 ➡ P7
✅- Driver of the Day ⭐Oliver Bearman impresses on his #F1 debut #SaudiArabianGP
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) March 10, 2024
Speaking about the same, Vasseur said, “Because you have to manage so much, such as the starting procedure, the pit stops, the steering wheel. That is not easy.” Subsequently, Vasseur also mentioned how the Jeddah track differs from others, such as ‘Barcelona.’ Therefore, Bearman deserves praise for staying error-free on such a challenging track.
He continued by stating that, based on his observations of other young drivers in similar circumstances, it hasn’t been simple for them to reach the kind of speed that Bearman achieved. Vasseur finally said that the 18-year-old’s performance had certainly ‘made an impression on him,’ given the race occurred with close walls and Bearman started straight in qualifying.
