Charles Leclerc praises 18-year-old Oliver Bearman for ‘handling Qualifying perfectly’ at Saudi Arabian GP

Oliver Bearman is filling in for Carlos Sainz this weekend who had to undergo a surgery for appendicitis.

Charles Leclerc praises 18-year-old Oliver Bearman for ‘handling Qualifying perfectly’ at Saudi Arabian GP

Charles Leclerc [L], Oliver Bearman [R] (images via IMAGO)

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was ruled out of the Saudi Arabian GP after being diagnosed with appendicitis. 18-year-old Ferrari academy driver Oliver Bearman was given the call-up to replace the Spaniard for this weekend. Bearman put up an impressive effort in his first outing in the SF24 on Friday. Now, Charles Leclerc has applauded his new teammate for his performance.

Oliver Bearman finished Qualifying in eleventh place, narrowly missing out on Q3. Leclerc highlighted that the Jeddah Street Circuit was one of the toughest tracks in F1. Moreover, the high-speed nature of the track made it more difficult for a rookie such as Bearman.

It is definitely one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar, for sure, being a street track and so fast as well.
Charles Leclerc said as reported by RacingNews365
YouTube video

The Monegasque driver claimed that Oliver Bearman perfectly handled Qualifying. The 18-year-old managed to put up a commendable performance without any incidents. Moreover, Charles Leclerc revealed that Bearman couldn’t wait to get into the SF24 before the start of Free Practice 3. Leclerc praised the rookie for a great performance.

FS Video
He handled it perfectly... The only thing I asked when he came in in the morning was 'are you excited' and he said 'I cannot wait' - I expected this answer.

Oliver Bearman impresses the paddock at Saudi Arabian GP

The British driver put his car on pole in Formula 2 on Thursday. However, the 18-year-old jumped at the opportunity to race for Ferrari after Sainz’s medical emergency. Fans had kept their expectations low for Oliver Bearman who only got a single practice session before going out in Qualifying.

Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman (via IMAGO)

However, Bearman certainly impressed the entire paddock with his decent performance. The Briton managed to keep things clean and work with the team to qualify eleventh. The 18-year-old could be in a good position to make up places at the start of the race on Saturday if he can avoid any first-lap carnage in Jeddah.

Certainly, it will be important for Oliver Bearman to continue his solid F1 outing this weekend. The F2 driver could convince Ferrari to get him a seat on the grid, albeit at a different team. The Scuderia already has a confirmed driver paring for 2025 comprising Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Fans would look forward to seeing the 18-year-old performance in the main race.

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