Ollie Bearman has quickly become the talk of the F1 town after his impressive debut with Ferrari last weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 18-year-old took charge of the SF-24 on very short notice and drove to a P7 finish in Jeddah after starting the race in P11. The young Briton was so impressive that he also earned the praises of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. In his recent write-up for Speedweek, the 80-year-old labeled Bearman’s debut as sensational. However, Marko then questioned Ferrari over their choice to spend big on Lewis Hamilton instead of investing in their younger talents. Marko wrote,
“I found Ollie Bearman’s debut in the Ferrari sensational. To be on a track like Jeddah like that without much training was really powerful. At times he drove almost at the same level as Charles Leclerc. But what is Ferrari doing now? They are buying the expensive Hamilton, Leclerc has a long-term contract, and now Bearman is showing off a super talent“.
After praising Bearman, Marko then also went on to discuss the tactics of Red Bull by giving the example of Liam Lawson. He suggested how his own side ended up sidelining the New Zealander, similarly to what Ferrari is doing at the moment with Bearman.
According to the Austrian, Ferrari should help Bearman secure a seat in F1 at a team like Haas and have him develop. Given the current financial situation within F1, the move would only stand to benefit Ferrari.
Instead of paying a hefty amount for Hamilton, Ferrari have the luxury of investing in the development of their younger driver. However, with the current move, Ferrari will have to raise more money to train their drivers, which Marko believes will cost them dearly.
This next group of young drivers coming into F1 is going to be some entertainment
— π (@thelifeofpii) March 9, 2024
As a result, Marko believes there is a greater need to nurture younger talent. Liam Lawson took the F1 world by storm last year after achieving unexpected level of success.
However, when the time came, Red Bull themselves opted for experience over the excitement of youth. With his latest outing, Ollie Bearman has rehashed such talks, and fans and experts want most of the ‘older drivers’ gone from the grid.
Ollie Bearman acting as the anchor point of latest F1 conversation
Ferrari Chairman John Elkann was present in Jeddah to support Ollie Bearman. Addressing the British driver’s performance, Elkann claimed it was a matter of great pride for his organization. Elkann added it has always been a goal of Ferrari to bet on young drivers, citing the examples of Charles Leclerc and Bearman.
F1 Journalist Naomi Schiff also took note of Bearman’s performance and dished out harsh comments for the current drivers. She claimed certain drivers were blocking seats on the grid and said it was time for teams to focus on providing more opportunities to younger talent.
There’s about 7 drivers I’d happily see replaced on next year’s f1 grid with rookies
So much young talent deserves a seat
— Bel (@BlueBelF1) March 9, 2024
Following the performances of Lawson and Bearman, fans also took to X to showcase their support for the young drivers. They claim F1 needs younger talent to mix things up and make racing more exciting, especially given the recent ‘dull’ racing.
Drivers such as Theo Pourchaire, Frederik Vesti, Felipe Drugovich, and Kimi Antonelli are all waiting for a breakthrough. Given the same, F1 teams need to think about coming up with a way to field more young talent on the grid.
