F1 | Ferrari: Bearman promoted with full marks in surprise debut

Flashes, cameras, handshakes and pats on the back. Oliver Bearman seemed almost stunned as he walked along the stretch of paddock that separates the parc fermé from the Ferrari hospitality area. In the space of twelve hours he went from being a Formula 2 driver to a Formula 1 driver, and to make matters worse, a Ferrari driver. It's difficult to imagine a more uphill debut. Car never driven before, only one free practice session available (also interrupted by the red flag) and a track which in terms of difficulty level is in the top-3 of the calendar. All with a very accelerated course which covered technical procedures, tire warm-up, pit stop management, starting tests and more.

Although he spent Friday at the wheel of the Formula 2 car, the biggest handicap that Bearman had to overcome was not being able to lap in the FP1 and FP2 sessions. On street circuits, feeling is almost everything, which is why teams are careful not to entrust their single-seaters to drivers who by regulation must contest the FP1 sessions on tracks such as Monaco, Sochi, Baku, Las Vegas or Singapore. No owner would agree to give up his car.

After Ferrari's announcement which confirmed the absence of Carlos Sainz and his replacement with Bearman, some drivers commented bluntly: “it will be an uphill day for him, let's hope he doesn't hit, otherwise it will become hell”.

Oliver 'Ollie' Bearman didn't beat himself up, faced an intense program in the FP3 session and entered qualifying with just 22 laps under his belt. He passed Q1 missing Q3 by 36 thousandths of a second. “Sorry” he said over the radio while Riccardo Adami congratulated him on his last lap.

The circuit staff replaces the banner with Carlos Sainz's name with that of Oliver Bearman

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“I got the call (from Ferrari) just a couple of hours before the FP3 session. It's not ideal circumstances to make your Formula 1 debut, but obviously it's a fantastic opportunity. Having said that, I hope that Carlos makes a good recovery as soon as possible.”

Bearman arrived in the paddock with the calm of a veteran: “I didn't have time to get nervous – he explained smiling – we had very little time available and I immediately concentrated on trying to catch up and make up for lost time. I didn't have time to think about the gravity of the situation, and I think in the end it was for the best.”

The driver's DNA is well known, and despite the barrage of compliments received from many professionals, Ollie returned several times to the handful of thousandths that did not allow him to pass into Q3.
“On the second lap I probably didn't put the tires in the best operating window, this was my mistake”.

In reality, Bearman didn't make any mistakes. Completing such an intense day 0.530 seconds behind Leclerc (this is the gap that separated the two at the end of Q2) is an incredible achievement. “That gap often happens to Perez,” someone in the paddock joked, but that's not the point.

Oliver Bearman, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Even though young drivers today have increasingly reliable simulators at their disposal, we are still talking about a '0km' debut on a decidedly challenging track. Despite past supporters and detractors, the level of drivers has constantly grown over the years. The selection in the preparatory formulas is very strong, the scouting of the young people who enter the junior programs is increasingly attentive and professional, but what is most striking when faced with a debut like Bearman's is the mental preparation, an aspect that is carefully looked after by the Ferrari Driver Academy .

The risk, on days like those experienced by Bearman, is to go haywire, to be overwhelmed by emotions and an avalanche poured out in a very short time. Tomorrow there will still be a mountain to climb for Oliver. “It will be the longest race I have ever competed in – he said smiling – I will have to deal with a lot of new things, starts, pit stops and other procedures that we didn't have time to try today. It will be a busy night, but I hope to be able to sleep for eight hours in relaxation.”

All as if it were something almost normal, a work commitment not so different from many others. “Maybe then on Monday I will put everything into focus and analyze what happened,” concluded Ollie, and that will probably be the case.