Bearman Takes Over For Sainz With 5 Hours Notice. Qualifies into Q2.
There was a new name on the timesheets as the third practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix got underway. It was confirmed in the build-up to the hour that Oliver Bearman would be stepping in at Ferrari to substitute for Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard being diagnosed with appendicitis.
While Bearman had previously appeared in Free Practice 1 sessions for Haas in 2023, the event in Jeddah will mark his first F1 Grand Prix. This is pressure in itself, but for an 18-year-old rookie to make their debut with Ferrari is perhaps all the more daunting.
Before he took laps today for Ferrari, Bearman enjoyed a strong campaign in F2. The teenager took both the Sprint and Feature Race victories in Baku, and sealed further wins in Barcelona and Monza. He finished the year with sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
This was not Bearman’s only achievement in 2023, though. In October the Briton was given his first experience of getting behind the wheel of an F1 car when he tested a 2021-spec Ferrari at Fiorano in Italy.
It proved to be an emotional moment for some, with Bearman saying after completing 400 kilometres on track: “My mum and dad came. My mum said she cried when I left the pits, which was quite funny. It’s nice to have them here, they’ve been with me through my whole journey so far, and this is a big milestone – the first F1 test – so it’s really nice.”
The mileage allowed Bearman to participate in two FP1 sessions for Haas in the latter stages of the 2023 F1 season, with the young driver given his debut F1 weekend running in Mexico before following this up with an outing in Abu Dhabi.
Bearman’s FP1 performances earned him acclaim from some onlookers, including Haas’ Ayao Komatsu, who was then acting as the team’s Trackside Engineering Director prior to his recent step up to Team Principal.
Following his first appearance for the squad in Mexico, Komatsu said of Bearman: “I don’t think you can fault him. He’s done really well. All the way from the initial preparation, he’s been very professional, very, very easy to deal with in every single process, I have nothing to complain [about].
“And then today, with the calmness, procedures he understood, he understood the objectives of every single run. He didn’t put a foot wrong, really.”
Bearman also returned to action for Haas in the 2023 post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Just a few weeks later, the teenager was confirmed as a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas in 2024, a year in which he would also take part in his second F2 season.
After coming away from the opening round of the 2024 Formula 2 campaign with no points, Bearman would undoubtedly have been feeling keen to make up for this at the second event on the calendar in Jeddah. He got things off to a good start by claiming pole position for the Feature Race on Thursday.
However, the weekend took an unexpected turn, with Bearman then being called up to F1 to step in for an unwell Carlos Sainz at Ferrari ahead of FP3 on Friday morning. Despite having little time to prepare, the rookie driver appeared to handle his initial session well, ending in 10th place on the timing as he adjusted to the SF-24.
Can Bearman deliver a similar result on Saturday night in Jeddah? It will certainly be interesting to find out.