Ferrari provided Oliver Bearman with some special padding around his headrest during his debut FP3 session in Jeddah. However, Bearman went on to ask the team to remove it. While speaking to Ted Kravitz on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Liam Lawson revealed that he knew in that moment that Bearman was going to have a tough time in the race.
As the Grand Prix went on, Lawson’s prediction to come true as he witnessed Bearman struggle endlessly with the massive g-forces at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. As a result, Bearman was seen resting his neck on the headrest throughout the race as the forces got too difficult for him to manage.
An F1 driver’s neck is purpose-built to endure g-forces of up to 6 times their body weight. Naturally, drivers train throughout the year to ensure their necks are strong enough. With Bearman virtually jumping into the SF-24 without any prior training and with just 3 hours of notice, he was bound to struggle.
The padding around the neck of an F1 driver is put in place to ensure that with the high g-forces, the driver does not end up banging his head violently under braking and cornering. With the headrest, the neck of a driver is secured to ensure maximum safety.
The g-forces that an F1 driver endures in a race, is much more compared to an F2 driver. Bearman was originally supposed to compete in F2, which means he was practically unprepared.
Oliver Bearman’s miscalculation led to misery during 2024 Saudi Arabian GP
Lawson went on to theorize why Bearman had asked his team to remove the extra padding from around his headrest. According to Lawson, Bearman’s limited practice running might have made him underestimate the extent and impact of prolonged g-forces a driver goes through.
Naturally, after the race, Bearman was visibly strained and tired. He even said that he felt destroyed after an intense Grand Prix debut. But the 18-year-old was rightfully lauded by his peers and even Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc heaped praises on him.
Ollie Bearman Liam Lawson
Which driver will get a seat in F1 first? pic.twitter.com/CULiLjGe2s
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 11, 2024
At the end of the day, Bearman’s performances have to be taken into context. With virtually no prior experience, the Briton went on to finish P11 in qualifying and was on the verge of knocking Lewis Hamilton out in Q2. During the race, he drove splendidly to finish P7 and earn points for Ferrari on his F1 debut.
