Oliver Bearman passed his driving test in May and had just an hour to practice in Ferrari
ESSEX boy Oliver Bearman has become Britain’s newest (and youngest) F1 star after making his debut for Ferrari.
The 18-year-old, who only passed his driving test in May, was called up as an eleventh-hour replacement for Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis.
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The Spaniard was taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery and is said to be recovering well.
Bearman had just an hour of practice to get up to speed with the Ferrari before qualifying for Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
And he defied all expectations with a brilliant performance to finish 11th on the grid, just 0.036 seconds after knocking Lewis Hamilton out of qualifying.
Bearman made the smallest mistake in turns 22 and 23, otherwise he would have thrown Hamilton out from the second qualifying session.
He was cheered on by his father, David, who watched in the Ferrari garage and winced as his son brushed the walls at high speed and bounced off the curb.
And he revealed he was in the dark about his incredible call until the eleventh hour.
Bearman said: “I woke up this morning fully prepared for my F2 race and got the call late in the day, just a few hours before FP3, that I was going to do it.
“This is not the circumstance in which I would want to make my F1 debut. I wish Carlos the best and I hope he recovers well, but this is a great opportunity.
“I honestly didn’t have time to get nervous because I didn’t have time and it was so late that I had to get ready to go on track and make up for lost time.
“That made my life a little bit harder and I was all over it with the engineers trying to figure out everything to get up to speed as quickly as possible.
Bearman drove for the Haas F1 team during training in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi last season.
Raised in Chelmsford and educated at King Edward VI Grammar, he joined the Ferrari driver academy at just 16.
He dropped out of school – against his mother’s request – and moved to Modena, near Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy.
He previously won the Italian Formula 4 and German Formula 4 titles, both in 2021.
Last year he finished sixth in the Formula 2 championship and on Thursday he qualified on pole for the F2 race here in Saudi Arabia.
However, he will now leave his F2 commitments for this weekend after being promoted to replace Sainz.
Bearman is the first Briton to drive for F1’s most famous team since Nigel Mansell in 1990.
He added: “I honestly haven’t spoken to anyone since the announcement, my phone isn’t working but I will try to speak to my mum tonight.
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“I think my father was in the garage, but I didn’t see him at all. I was in the car and then in the garage and back in the car.
“It’s such a rapid progression in my career. Two years ago I was still in F4 and I only did my first F1 test three or four months ago.
“So it’s been rapid progress. And to make my F1 debut in red, hopefully this is a sign of things to come.”
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen took a routine pole as no one could match his pace on the street circuit in Jeddah.
He put aside the internal conflict between his father Jos and team boss Christian Horner.
And in the latest development in the ongoing saga, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko could now face disciplinary action.
The 80-year-old is believed to be under investigation for his role in the internal investigation.
He was also given strict instructions not to speak to the media, but in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF he said he could now miss the next race in Australia.
It is yet another sensational development and should he be found guilty of disclosing confidential information, he could face disciplinary action.
Should he be fired, there is suspicion in the paddock that this could lead to a clause in the Dutchman’s contract, clearing the way for him to break his contract with Red Bull and join Mercedes to close.