What Did Ollie Bearman Think Of His F1 Debut?

Not long after it was confirmed that Carlos Sainz jr. would be stepping out of the car and missing the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that it became apparent that Ferrari needed its new driver, Ollie Bearman in this case, to step up.

For someone who hadn’t had any idea about Formula 1 at all and had never sat inside an F1 car to contest in any Grand Prix before, this was a mighty big occasion for the teenager.

As a matter of fact, Ollie Bearman was contesting in F2 and was all set to participate in that contest when the unexpected and utterly sudden F1 debut arrived.

Not only did the Chelmsford, England-born driver secure a decent eleventh in qualifying, he would end up seventh in the race and thus help Ferrari to have both its drivers within the points.

That his senior, Charles Leclerc claimed a valiant third in the end meant that the Scuderia family now have two podiums in as many races.

Having said that, one of the most beautiful and heartening sights upon the conclusion of the Grand Prix was one of the greats of the sport in Lewis Hamilton waiting to congratulate Ollie Bearman, whose car#38 the Briton stood beside all this time.

The two would hug and an atmosphere of excitement and congeniality would ensue.

But what does Ollie Bearman himself feel about his F1 debut and what were his impressions upon the conclusion of the 50-lap contest?

“I think I put a good show for myself which is the main thing, right? Difficult circumstances, not a lot of laps on track but I think I maximised everything today.”

That said, he made no bones about the fact that the recent Grand Prix at Jeddah was not only a physically challenging race but also a mentally exhausting one.

Explaining the extent of the gruelling contest, Bearman highlighted the following:

“I felt like I was a bit quicker than [Fernando] Alonso and [George] Russell in front but not enough to catch. I lost a lot of time trying to pass Hulkenberg, who used his experience to keep me back for more laps than he should have. That’s my bad but it was a good race. Especially my lower back and neck are hurting, these seats take a bit of fine-tuning and we didn’t have time to focus on that. It was a good motivation to finish the race quicker.”

Where it stands as of now, Ferrari, quick and sturdy as seen so far, have once again Red Bull as their biggest and mightiest challenger this season. In the two races that have been held so far, they’ve emerged second best only to the main challenger out in front: Red Bull.

The Verstappen versus Leclerc and Sainz show is on and perhaps in its full pomp.

However, whether Ferrari can win a Grand Prix and how soon, is something that only future will tell. The Tifosi must hang on and not vacate the seat.