Having recently debuted in Formula 1, Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman has named his dream team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans if he ever competes in it. The 18-year-old has also already agreed to take the blame for defeat if he does. In a video that has surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), Bearman said, ” [Lewis] Hamilton, [Charles] Leclerc and me. And if we don’t win, it’s my fault.”
Following his debut, Bearman received much praise from both Leclerc and Hamilton. The young Briton delivered an impressive performance during his first time in an F1 car on a challenging track in Jeddah with such short notice. Bearman got Carlos Sainz’s seat right before FP3 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis and had to get hospitalized for immediate surgery.
After the Saudi Arabian GP qualifying, in which the 18-year-old had nearly knocked out Hamilton in Q2, the 7x world champion said, “I was nowhere near ready for Formula 1 at 18.” Meanwhile, Leclerc, in the post-race interview, said, “Everyone has noticed how talented he is. It is only a matter of time before he is in Formula 1.”
Furthermore, even though Sainz could not drive the car, he disguised himself as an engineer to help out Bearman during the race. The 18-year-old, after scoring P7 at the Saudi Arabian GP, revealed, “He [Sainz] told me about the exit procedure because I was using his steering wheel. [Moreover,] He gave me some advice and told me he would be on the wall helping me during the race.”
Ferrari is prepping Oliver Bearman for the Australian GP
With Carlos Sainz’s return being unclear, Ferrari recently took to social media to announce that they have put Bearman in their 2022 car [F1-75] for a test run at Fiorano, Ferrari’s private test track. The young Briton will be at the upcoming Australian GP, participating in F2 or F1, in case Sainz doesn’t completely recover.
Ferrari’s team boss, Fred Vasseur, described Sainz’s recovery as ‘amazing’ after the Spaniard returned to the track at the Saudi Arabian GP after his surgery. Vasseur also noted that the team would decide on Sainz’s return to Melbourne in one week as he remains optimistic.
As for Bearman, he too hopes that Sainz returns to the car and recovers quickly. “In the end, it’s his car, it’s his championship, so I hope the best for him,” he said.
