Oliver Bearman admits he has to ‘do more’ to prove he is worthy of an F1 seat after impressing debut at Saudi Arabian GP

The youngest Ferrari driver leaves everyone astonished as he scores points in his debut F1 race.

Oliver Bearman admits he has to ‘do more’ to prove he is worthy of an F1 seat after impressing debut at Saudi Arabian GP

Oliver Bearman (Via IMAGO)

Carlos Sainz Jr.‘s appendicitis prevented him from competing in the Saudi Arabian race or the qualifying round. The Spaniard had been feeling under the weather for a while, but after the second practice, he fell seriously ill due to appendicitis and needed surgery for the same condition. Oliver Berman, Ferrari’s reserved driver, was selected to replace the Spaniard.

Oliver Berman, 18 years old at the moment had only one practice to get acquainted with the car and environment before qualifying. During qualifying he just missed out of Q3 and placed himself on P11. But on the race day, the Englishman left everyone surprised and shocked with performance. Berman placed himself at P7 in his debut F1 race. While talking to the media the same day he said, 

YouTube video
I don't know what else I can do, because I don't think I'll be in F1 for the rest of the year. That was my goal, to do a great showing this weekend, I think I did a decent job, so that is alright. That is all I can do, keep pushing in F2 and cross my fingers.
Oliver Berman told motorsport.com.

In the 2024 season, Bearman will take part in six Formula One sessions for Haas, beginning in May at the Emilia Romagna GP. This is a component of his F1 assessment and tryout for the American team. The Haas F1 contracts of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen expire at the end of the current season. Berman hopes that his performance will open the door. At the moment Bearman is happy with how he performed in the Saudi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton praised Ollie Bearman for his impressive debut

The seven-time world champion had nothing but praise for the driver of the day of Saudi Arabian GP, Oliver Bearman. The young British driver would be the reserve driver at Ferrai next season as well if he fails to secure an F1 seat in 2024 and will have Hamilton as his teammate.

Lewis Hamilton [L] Oliver Bearman [R]
Lewis Hamilton [L] Oliver Bearman [R] Lewis Hamilton congratulates Oliver Bearman during cool-down lap

Lewis Hamiton will be moving to Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton was really impressed by the performance of the 18-year-old. He stated that at such a young age driving in F1 and doing so well is impressive. Hamilton also mentioned how Berman ‘almost took him out’ during the race. 

Berman shared with media, how honoured he felt while driving on the same track as people he grew up watching. For Berman, it was a pleasure to get the recognition he got from Hamilton given that he struggled a bit while Hamilton was trying to pull him out. What an exceptional performance by Berman, many fans believe that he should get the Ferrari seat 2025 in place of Hamilton. 

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