From taking F2 pole on Friday to driving for Ferrari on Saturday: Oliver Bearman’s unexpected F1 debut.

Sainz called in sick and skipped media duties on Wednesday. He later arrived at the track on Thursday to take part in practice sessions, describing it as the toughest day he’s had in an F1 car. On Friday, it was confirmed that Sainz had been diagnosed with appendicitis that required surgery, meaning he would sit out the rest of the weekend. The 18-year-old Bearman was informed hours before the third practice session that he would be driving Sainz’s Ferrari for the rest of the weekend.

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Bearman wasn’t a stranger to F1 machinery, having done two FP1 sessions with Haas last year, which impressed quite a lot of people, as well as a test in an older spec Ferrari in Fiorano.

“He drove the old car a couple of months ago, and he did very well,” commented Vasseur. “Last year he did two FP1 sessions with us in Mexico, and I don’t remember the other one. He did a good job on those too.”

Who’s Oliver Bearman?

Born on May 8, 2005, in Chelmsford, Essex, Bearman’s racing journey began with karting at the age of eight. Within his first year, he secured a top-five finish in the British Karting GP, marking the start of a successful trajectory. Bearman transitioned to single-seater racing in 2020, competing in ADAC F4 and Italian F4 with US Racing scoring victories in both categories alongside some podiums. In 2021, with Van Amersfoort Racing, he claimed both titles, winning 17 races during the campaign.

At the end of 2021, Bearman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy and moved up to Formula 3 with PREMA Racing. In his sole F3 season, he finished third, securing a sprint race victory in Belgium. This performance earned him promotion to Formula 2. Making his F2 debut in 2023 with PREMA Racing, Bearman had a strong campaign with four victories, including three feature race wins, and finished 6th in the drivers’ championship.

In October of the same year, he had his first experience in an F1 car, testing a 2021-spec Ferrari at Fiorano in Italy. The test mileage allowed Bearman to participate in two FP1 sessions for Haas in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

“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],” said Ayao Komatsu, the then Trackside Engineering Director of Haas, prior to his recent promotion to Team Principal.

Bearman’s F1 Debut

Bearman started his F1 debut with a strong FP3 performance. He finished 10th, completing the most laps out of anyone on the grid, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as he needed as much track time as possible to prepare for his debut. He narrowly missed out on a Q3 appearance in his first ever F1 qualifying, finishing P11 in Q2, getting knocked out by fellow Brit and 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton by just 0.036s.

“I woke up this morning focusing on my F2 race, starting P10, trying to think, how can we maximize that. And then at some stage, it was clear that I had to get in the F1 car. “What a great opportunity, of course, huge best wishes for Carlos and his recovery. But it’s a great moment and opportunity for me, and I’m ready to maximize it. A bit disappointed with the qualifying, but overall I can’t be too disappointed.

“It was so close, so close,” he added of the margin to Q3. “That’s why it hurts a bit more. I made a mistake on my first push [lap], so I had to do it on my second, and the tires aren’t really the best there, so my mistake and I’ll take that on the chin.”

Asked about his goals for his maiden Grand Prix, Bearman said: “Just bring the car back. Try and get some points, that would be a bonus, but build up my mileage, get some experience. It’s my first race, so I can’t expect much, and this is a really difficult track as well.”

Bearman made up four places to finish in 7th, scoring 6 points on his Formula 1 debut. But the points didn’t come easy as the young driver was left ‘physically destroyed’. The 18-year-old faced pressure from the threat of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton behind on fresher tires, but he ultimately held on to claim P7 and was also voted as the Driver of the Day.

“Destroyed. Physically it was a really difficult race! Especially in the end, when I had the two guys on soft behind me, I had to basically push flat out and it was a mentally difficult race as expected, and physically I was struggling too, but great fun out there.” said Bearman.

What’s next for the teenager?

An impressive performance in Jeddah could put Bearman on the radar of some teams, as most driver contracts are expiring this year.

“Yeah perhaps, but the most important [thing is], you know perfectly that the result of today will be behind us in a couple of weeks, and that he will have to be focused on the F2 because he has a huge challenge in front of him.

“This weekend cost him also a lot because he was supposed to start from pole in F2, it means to come back into the championship will be a challenge, but he will have the occasion to do some FP1 this year.” said Vassuer on wether bearman could find himself in any of the Ferrari powered teams.

At Haas, where Bearman will be joining the team for some more FP1 outings this season, Team Principal Ayao Komatsu was equally impressed by his performance. When asked if this puts him on the team’s radar for 2025 Komatsu said: “Yeah, absolutely. Last year when we had him in FP1 sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, straight away it was obvious that he’s a total package. He’s so impressive, so I was very happy that we got him for six FP1s this year. [I’m] very happy for him.”