Bearman, the last of a close circle
If Max Verstappen tries to kill this Formula 1 with victories, Saudi Arabia has thought about it Oliver Bearman to give valid arguments to the press and fans to debate. Everything has been said about 'Ollie' – as the Englishman called himself as a child and as he has now become known to the public thanks also to the front pages he won – and there has also been extensive discussion, especially on the generational question who, more than anyone, Ferrari he faces after the hiring of Lewis Hamilton for 2025, when he will be 40 years old.
Bearman then allowed us to reel off various statistics during the Jeddah weekend: from the youngest drivers to make their debut in Formula 1 – the Englishman is the third overall after Verstappen and Stroll – to those who made their debut at the wheel of the prestigious Maranello team.
In this regard, it has been brought up several times Arturo Merzario, the last to make his debut with Ferrari over 50 years ago. The Italian was thrown into the fray at Brands Hatch in 1972 and also came out well, with a good sixth place finish and the “combativeness” award awarded by the specialized journalists of the time. His future in red, however, was not long-lived with intermittent appearances until the end of the following year.
Baghetti's sensational debut
He made a real splash on his debut in a Prancing Horse car Giancarlo Baghetti in 1961which he even managed to win the French Grand Prix in Reims. A resounding success that no one could have ever bet on.
The Milanese, thanks to the support of FISA (Italian Automobile Federation) which wanted to give new Italian drivers the opportunity to emerge in Formula 1, but also to the victories in the Syracuse and Naples Grands Prix (both not included in the calendar), presented himself at the away from the French classic, obtaining the 12th time in qualifying. Not much of an impact, considering that the delay from pole for Phil Hill (also on a Ferrari) was around five and a half seconds.
The difficult temperatures of a very hot July put the resistance of the single-seaters to the test, with the three “official” Ferraris of Hill, Von Trips and Ginther being forced to retire after initially going on the run.
In the meantime, Baghetti had gradually moved up the rankings, putting himself at the head of the chasing group: we are talking about people of the caliber of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill and Jack Brabham.
After the KO of the three Reds, Baghetti found himself in the lead chased by the two Porsches of Bonnier and Gurney with ten laps to go. It was a sprint finish with the Milanese who, after Bonnier also retired, cunningly took Gurney's wake exiting the final corner and triumphed in the most absurd, unpredictable and unexpected way. As with Merzario, however, his future in Formula 1 was not as bright as his triumph in Reims.
#Excellent #debuts #Ferrari #Bearman #Baghetti39s #victory
