Ferrari teen Oliver Bearman praised for ‘incredible’ F1 debut

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Oliver Bearman, Ferrari's teenage replacement, didn't know he would be racing in Formula One when he woke up Friday, but that same evening his first qualifying performance was praised by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

As Ferrari's reserve driver, it was Bearman, 18, who received the call shortly before Friday's test session to replace appendicitis-stricken Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the weekend.

The Englishman was due to start the Formula 2 support race from pole position.

After an hour of free practice track, Bearman then narrowly missed out on a top 10 spot in Q3 qualifying, nearly eliminating Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.

He will line up 11th for Saturday night's race, where he will become the third youngest driver to start an F1 event.

“I honestly didn’t have time to be nervous,” Bearman said. “I woke up this morning, fully prepared for my F2 race and received a call at the end of the day, just a few hours before FP3, informing me that I was going to do it.

“It's not a circumstance in which I would want to make my F1 debut. I wish Carlos the best and hope he recovers well, but it's a great opportunity.”

He added: “Making my F1 debut in red, I hope that's a sign to come.”

On paper, his Ferrari had the raw pace for a stronger starting position: Leclerc will line up from second in the other car, behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

But the fast and formidable street circuit of Jeddah is one of the most difficult to master in such a short time.

Reigning world champion Verstappen said as much as he praised the youngster.

“It’s very difficult to get started on a track like this,” said the Dutchman. “What he did was very, very impressive. To be P11, only six tenths [of a second] outside the pole, that's more than you could have asked of him, I think.

“He did an incredible job. I hope he enjoyed it a bit, it's quite stressful when you come into a new car with no experience.”

“I hope he's happy with it himself, not [thinking] “I didn't make it to Q3″ or whatever, because I think everyone in the paddock saw that he had done a great job.”

Leclerc echoed Verstappen's praise.

“It's definitely one of the toughest tracks on the calendar, that's for sure, being a street track and also fast. But he handled it perfectly,” Leclerc said.

“As soon as he walked in with the engineers this morning, he had so much to figure out to be ready that we didn't have much time to talk. The only thing I said to him when he came in this morning , it was like 'Are you excited?' and he was like 'Yeah, I can't wait!' to which I expected this answer.

“It was good to see the enthusiasm for him, for his first race at Ferrari, and once again he did a great job.”

Bearman is considered a strong contender for a seat at Ferrari engine customer Haas in 2025.

He participated in testing sessions with the team in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023.

Regarding his expectations for his first race in F1, he said: “Just bring the car back. Try to get points, that would be a bonus… It's my first race, so I can't expect a lot, and it's a really difficult track too.

“Honestly I haven't spoken to anyone since the announcement, my phone is going crazy but I'm going to try and talk to my mom tonight.”

Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, who will start third, said: “It's a place where you don't want to get the call to make your debut because it's one of the most difficult places. The one where you have to take the most risks, the one where you have to be the most confident with the car, with the balance, so great respect for what he achieved today, I think he did a very good work.

“It shows how well prepared he is for this opportunity, so well done to him.”

Bearman's father, Oliver, watched the scene from the garage and videos and gifs of his anxious expressions quickly circulated on social media.

At one point, he was seen grimacing heavily when he heard his son's car brush against one of the walls at the Jeddah circuit.