Jeddah — Oliver Bearman, a teenage British driver, made Formula One history on Saturday by winning Driver of the Day and
showcasing his potential as a future star. Bearman relished his incredible Ferrari debut.
The youngest rookie on the Italian squad, 18 years and 305 days, replaced the injured Carlos Sainz of Spain for the Saudi Arabian
Grand Prix, starting seventh and finishing eighth.
As he pulled into the checkered flag, he had Mercedes’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris, the
youngest driver in British history, in his rearview mirror.
Amid applause for his efforts under the Jeddah Corniche floodlights, he informed reporters, “I don’t even know what happened in the
race.”
“It seems strange not to watch an F1 race. I think this is the first Formula One race I haven’t watched in a while.
“I was happy to collaborate on a song with these guys, as I grew up watching them fight.” It was great to receive their
acknowledgement.
Charles Leclerc, the third-place finisher for Ferrari, assured reporters that Bearman, the reserve who arrived at the racetrack solely
focused on Formula 2, was just getting started.
He’s been amazing today,” he remarked. It’s really amazing, and I have no doubt that he is quite proud. His potential has been well
acknowledged, and I have no doubt that he will soon be competing in Formula One.
Bearman was not even two years old when Hamilton made his Formula One debut in 2007. Hamilton finished tenth in the race on
Saturday and was the first to greet and shake hands with his countryman as he got out of the Ferrari.
Norris congratulated the 66th driver to score on his debut since the championship’s inception in 1950 and stated, “He clearly deserves
it and I’m sure we’ll see more of him again in the future.”
Bearman, who was making his maiden start and pit stops in Formula One after previously only competing in practice, had not made a
single error, according to Ferrari manager Fred Vasseur. Bearman was even able to pick up speed at the finish line to beat Norris and
Hamilton.
He remarked, “He was very solid, very robust, good feedback, and very calm on the radio from the beginning of the event.”
Bearman claimed that having a quick car and treating the start the same as any other race had helped. “Obviously, the fact that the
vehicle was flying today is a huge advantage, but I believe we ran a flawless race—no errors—and that’s just what we wanted. I’m
pleased with how I performed,” he remarked.
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