F1 | Bearman: “Fantastic race. I kept Norris and Lewis behind!”

First race in Formula 1, with a last second call on Friday morning and only one free practice session before qualifying and the race, on one of the most complicated tracks in the world championship. Oliver Bearman's debut in the top flight, which ended in seventh place, garnered acclaim, thanks to a well-managed race in which he made no particular mistakes, especially despite the pressure at the end.

The Briton was one of only two drivers to start on the soft, thus finding greater inspiration and grip in what was effectively his first start in F1, with cars that were much heavier and bulkier than the Formula 2 single-seaters he joined. he's used to it. Bearman was able to defend his eleventh position, also trying to undermine the tenth place of Yuki Tsunoda, who had managed to access Q3.

The Ferrari driver tried for a long time to attack the Japanese Racing Bulls driver, at least until the Safety Car came out on the seventh lap due to Lance Stroll's accident in turn 22. Like other drivers, Bearman returned to the pits to mount the hard to get to the end of the race, finding himself facing what was probably the longest stint of his career.

Fifty laps that made themselves felt on a physical level, especially because Jeddah is a rather challenging track considering the many high-speed corners that make up the first sector, where the lateral G forces make themselves felt on the body: “I'm a bit tired! I suffered a bit after the race, when you no longer have the fresh air, then you realize that you are tired. My back hurts a little, especially my shoulders. It's not the best circuit physically to make your debut on, but I think we did a good job,” Bearman said at the end of the race.

“But it was a fantastic race, pushing I was shocked at how much we were pushing improving every lap. It was incredible, particularly at the end when I had the two behind me [Norris e Hamilton] on the soft that they were trying to catch me, I couldn't relax, I looked in the mirrors pushing to the maximum, but it was exciting and a fun race.”

At the end of the race the Ferrari driver had to manage the return of both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, who had followed a different strategy, remaining out on the track during the Safety Car period, and then stopping only in the final phase of the race to mount the soft. After an initial period in which even the red pit wall was convinced that the two would catch Bearman, the times began to stabilize, thus giving the Briton the opportunity to manage with greater serenity and bring home a beautiful seventh place.

Oliver Bearman, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“I thought they were going to get me, but in the end they stabilized. In the last laps I also tried to gain a little more margin from the walls. I don't know if the soft behaved as they expected because they weren't [Norris e Hamilton] faster in the end,” said the Englishman.

“The countdown [quanti giri mancavano alla fine] it seemed to be very slow! But I think we managed very well, behind me they weren't really catching up, I think I still had a bit of margin available in case I needed it, also in terms of engine maps. I think I had my best lap right at the end, I decided to push and see what I could do, but it was a lot of fun and I had a lot of confidence. Particularly towards the end of the stint on the hard, where I more or less knew what the car could do, I felt I could really push.”

During the race Bearman was also the protagonist of some nice duels with other drivers, including a prolonged battle with Nico Hulkenberg of Haas, which led him to exclaim over the radio how slow the German was, who, however, had not still stopped and was on a completely different strategy to the Englishman. Hulkenberg defended himself very well, intelligently exploiting his experience to understand where to defend and where to attack. However, after overtaking the American team's standard bearer, the Ferrari driver managed to express his pace, completing a good race managed with great authority.

Oliver Bearman in the duel with Nico Hulkenberg.

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“I was stuck. He [Hulkenberg] he was using all his experience to use the drums in the right places to keep up with me. So, it took me a couple of tries to get through, but once I got through, I could show my pace, it was just very difficult to follow. Particularly for me, who have never been in the slipstream of an F1 car before, passing so close to the walls, one second behind the driver in front, is very difficult, it requires a great effort.”

Overall, Bearman said he was happy with his debut in Formula 1, given that behind this first race there were numerous unknowns and aspects that he only discovered as the race itself progressed: “I think overall I can be happy. It's my first time to do two stints like this on the soft and hard. It's the first time I had to fight with other cars and I tried to use the battery in the right way to overtake. Lots of firsts today. But it went well, I didn't make any mistakes.”

“On this track [mi ha sorpreso] the level you can push during the race, here I had to push throughout the race, especially on the hard tyre, which lasts a long time, but requires a lot of precision to go fast every lap. The hard tires on the rear were dropping towards the end, but I was able to continue pushing.”