OLIVER BEARMAN finished seventh in his first ever Formula One race in Saudi Arabia – even beating Brit legend Lewis Hamilton.
The record-breaking 18-year-old replaced Carlos Sainz on short notice after the Spaniard underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis.
Chelmsford-born Bearman qualified in 11th for the Jeddah race but managed to move his way up through the field with some impressive overtakes and some strategies from rivals going in his favour.
Bearman is dating Estelle Ogilvy, who is a TikTok star and law student.
It may also come as a surprise that Bearman only passed his road driving test in May.
Max Verstappen claimed victory number two for the season as Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished second amid another weekend where off-track noise around Red Bull has been gargantuan.
Charles Leclerc took the final podium spot from Oscar Piastri in fourth, who had been held up for much of the mid-race by a masterful Lewis Hamilton defence.
Hamilton was joined by Lando Norris in gambling by not pitting under an early safety car caused by Lance Stroll crashing into the wall.
When the pair eventually opted to pit they had come out behind compatriot Bearman and could not close the gap before the chequered flag despite being on quicker soft tyres.
However, the teen did finish directly behind P6 finisher George Russell, who went over with Hamilton to congratulate Bearman after the race.
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Seven-time world champion Hamilton shared a bearhug with him while Russell gave him a handshake.
The occasion was not lost on F1 fans either, with 48 per cent of the Driver of the Day vote going to Bearman.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said: “[I’m a] Little tired. You can probably see I don’t look my best. It was a fantastic race, pushing all the way.
“I was shocked how fast we were pushing quicker every lap.
“That was incredible and especially at the end where I had the two guys on softs bearing down on me, I couldn’t relax and I was always in my mirror’s pushing flat out.
“But it was a really exciting and fun race.”
Who is Ferrari ace Oliver Bearman?
By Ben Hunt
ESSEX boy Oliver Bearman has become Britain’s latest – 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 11th hour replacement for Carlos Sainz, who suffered appendicitis.
Bearman only had an hour’s practice to get up to speed with the Ferrari before qualifying for Saturday’s Saudi Arabian GP.
And he defied the odds with a brilliant performance to take 11th on the grid – coming within just 0.036 seconds from knocking Lewis Hamilton out from qualifying.
Bearman made the slightest of mistakes during turns 22 and 23 otherwise he’d have dumped out Hamilton from the second qualifying session.
Bearman drove for the Haas F1 team last season in the practice sessions in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi.
Raised in Chelmsford, and schooled at King Edward VI Grammar, he joined Ferrari’s driver academy, aged only 16.
He quit school – against his mum’s request and moved to Modena close to Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy.
He has previously won the Italian Formula Formula 4 and German Formula 4 titles , both in 2021.
Last year he was sixth in the Formula Two championship and on Thursday he qualified for the F2 race here in Saudi Arabia on pole.
He added: “It felt like the countdown seemed like it was going slower than normal but I think we managed it really well.
“They weren’t really catching behind and I felt like I had a bit in hand in case I needed it and a bit of engine mode as well.
“I found good confidence and was building throughout the race especially coming to the end of the hard stint and felt like I knew what the car was doing.”
Bearman also had a cheeky mid-race comment when trying to overtake Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg for P9, telling his engineer the Haas was “so slow” before completing a move.
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His P7 finish means he became the first Brit to score points on his F1 debut since Paul di Resta in 2011.
Sensationally, Bearman’s six-point haul now means he is tenth in the drivers championship standings.
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
