Oliver Bearman has alleged that Lewis Hamilton ‘pulled him out of the car’ following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday. The teenager impressed in his F1 debut, finishing P7 for Ferrari while filling in for Carlos Sainz.
Bearman, who has been regarded as a title contender for the 2024 Formula Two season, was made an official Ferrari and Haas reserve driver at the beginning of the year and did not have to wait long for his chance. The 18-year-old was drafted in to replace Sainz, who was diagnosed with appendicitis following FP2 in Jeddah.
After narrowly missing out on Q3 on Friday, Bearman moved from P11 to P7, battling off Hamilton and fellow Brit Lando Norris in the closing stages to cap his fairytale debut with a six-point haul for Ferrari.
However, the intensity of the performance plainly drained the young Briton. “I grew up watching these guys fight, so it was great to share the track with them,” he remarked after the race. “It was a pleasure to have their recognition.”[Lewis] was really dragging me out of the car because I was struggling. It was very physical. In a race like this, with one of the season’s lowest-degradation courses and one of the strongest lateral G [forces], you’re running about 50 qualifying laps.”
Despite being the third youngest driver in history to start an F1 Grand Prix, Bearman shown tremendous maturity on the racetrack. “Honestly, surprisingly it felt like any other race,” he went on to say. “The [start] technique is little different from an F2 racing start, but as the lights came on, you were focused on what was around you.
“Fortunately, the F4 radios were not transmitted, but in F3, I was a little more irritated, and I’ve learned over the years that that doesn’t produce any results. No matter what, I tried to remain calm, especially in this situation. We knew the race was coming, so I remained calm and let it happen.
The Saudi Grand Prix will be a fantastic preparation for a full-time driving career in 2025. Bearman has already been connected with a race seat at Haas next year, and he will join the team for six different race weekends before the 2024 season concludes in Abu Dhabi.
