The Englishman Oliver Bearman, just 18 years and 305 days old, had his long-awaited and unexpected debut in Formula 1 this Friday
.
He did it as a driver for the legendary
Scuderia
Ferrari.
And without meaning to, he became a record-breaking machine as soon as he got on and traveled his first meters aboard the car of the Spanish Carlos Sainz, who had to undergo surgery for appendicitis and will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that will be held in Jeddah. .
Firstly, as a highlight, Bearman became the first driver from Great Britain to race for Ferrari in a Grand Prix since Northern Irishman Eddie Irvine was one of the team's drivers in 1999. This brought him to an early end. to a 25-year hiatus that was expected to be closed by
Lewis Hamilton
and his scheduled - and thunderous - landing for the next season.
But the story doesn't end there.
The teenager born in
Chelmsford
, the capital of the county of Essex, became the 776th driver in the category since his birth in 1950. He is also the No. 97 of the
Prancing Horse
and the 12th born in the United Kingdom.
But he also broke the mold
.
It took 52 years for a driver to debut non-stop in the seat of a Ferrari
, a team that usually appeals to hire more experienced men.
The last one who had managed to debut behind the wheel of the team created by Enzo Ferrari was the Italian
Arturo Merzario
, who participated in 85 GPs between 1972 and 1979. He did not have a stellar career - the best was three fourth places - but he became a hero when in 1976 he was one of the four pilots who rescued Austrian Niki Lauda from the flames and saved his life.
But the protagonist of this new story is not Merzario, but Bearman.
Because this Saturday, when the race is held from 2 p.m. in Argentina (Star + and Fox Sports), he will break two other records.
Ollie
will become the third youngest driver to race in a Grand Prix
.
The record for precocity is held by the Dutchman
Max Verstappen
, absolute dominator of F1 in the last three seasons, who debuted at 17 years and 166 days in the 2015 Australian GP. The second youngest, meanwhile, is another man who is active: the Canadian
Lance Stroll
, who did it at 18 years and 148 days, also in Melbourne, but in 2017.
A day that will forever be etched in @OllieBearman's memory đ
And it's another "pinch me" day on Saturday!
#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/oHxSuR2omF
â Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2024
Yes, he will be the earliest man - actually, boy - to compete for Ferrari.
It will shatter the record held by the Mexican
Ricardo RodrĂguez
, who debuted with the
Prancing Horse
in the 1961 Italian GP, ââwhen he was 19 years and 208 days old.
The Aztec driver did not end well: three months before his 21st birthday he died in the 1962 Mexico City GP aboard a Lotus.
âWhat a great opportunity, of course, my best wishes for Carlos and his recovery.
But it's a great moment and a great opportunity for me and I'm ready to make the most of it.
A little disappointed with the classification, but overall I can't be too disappointed," said the Briton after his brand new debut in Formula 1.
"It was so close, so close
," he added about the margin by which he was eliminated in Q2 and which condemned him to starting from 11th place on the grid, which will have Verstappen, again, from pole.
âThat's why it hurts a little more.
"I made a mistake on my first lap, so I had to make the time on the second and the tires are not really the best there, so my mistake and I will accept it," he
added after being just 32 thousandths of a second away from qualifying last. qualifying cut in his debut.
What an effort from @OllieBearman đ
P11 in quali after just one hour's practice đȘ#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/A5N0Q3fM3b
â Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2024
"Just bring the car back. Try to get some points, that would be an advantage, but increase my mileage and get some experience. It's my first race, so I can't wait too long, and this is also a very difficult track." It ended with remarkable maturity.
How Oliver Bearman came to Ferrari
It was at the end of 2021 that Bearman became a member of the
Ferrari Driver Academy
, before making his Formula 3 debut in 2022 with PREMA Racing.
While the rookie initially crossed the line in first place during his first race in Bahrain, a five-second track limits penalty dropped him to second place, handing the victory to
Isack Hadjar
.
Bearman began racing karting when he was seven years
old and did so until he was 14, when he joined the ADAC Formula 4 and Italian Formula 4 championships.
In 2021 he was champion of both competitions.
In 2022 he made the jump to FIA Formula 3
with
PREMA Racing
and finished third in the competition after scoring eight podiums, including a victory in the sprint race in Belgium.
Bearman remained at PREMA and enjoyed a solid first campaign in F2.
The teenager took victories in the Sprint race and the feature race in Baku, and sealed further victories in Barcelona and Monza.
He finished the year in sixth place in the drivers' standings.
However, this was not Bearman's only achievement in 2023.
In October, the Briton had his first experience behind the wheel of an F1 car
when he tested a 2021-spec Ferrari in Fiorano, Italy.
In addition, he participated in two free practice sessions 1 for Haas in the final races of the 2023 Formula 1 season, and the young Brit had his first top-flight weekend racing in Mexico before continuing with a start in Abu Dhabi.
Ollie also returned to action with Haas at the 2023 post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit.
A few weeks later, he was confirmed as a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas for 2024, the year in which he will also compete in his second season in Formula 2.
In the opening category of Formula 1, where he usually competes against the Argentine Franco Colapinto, he finished 16th in both races of the first competition weekend of the year in Bahrain and took pole position for the Saudi Arabia GP, where Now he will race in a much more powerful and legendary car.