Oliver Bearman, the baby-faced teenager who climbed into a Formula 1 Ferrari and never tired of breaking records

The Englishman Oliver Bearman, just 18 years and 305 days old, had his long-awaited and unexpected debut in Formula 1 this Friday.. He did it as a pilot of the legendary Stable Ferrari. And without wanting to, he became a record-breaking car as soon as he climbed and traveled his first meters aboard the car of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who has undergone surgery for appendicitis and will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which will be held in in Jeddah. .

Firstly, as a highlight, Bearman became the first British driver to race for Ferrari in a Grand Prix since Northern Irishman Eddie Irvine was one of the team’s drivers in 1999. This brought him to an early end. break that should have been closed Lewis Hamilton and its expected – and thunderous – landing next season.

But the story does not end here. The teenager born in Chelmsfordcapital of Essex County, became the 776th pilot in the category since its inception in 1950. He is also the no. 97 in the rankings prancing Horse and the 12th born in the UK. But he also broke the mold. It took 52 years for a driver to make his uninterrupted debut in the seat of a Ferraria team that usually appeals to hire more experienced men.

The last person to make his debut at the wheel of the team created by Enzo Ferrari was the Italian himself Arturo Merzariowho participated in 85 GPs between 1972 and 1979. He didn’t have a stellar career – the best were three fourth places – but he became a hero when in 1976 he was one of the four drivers who put out the flames and saved the life of the Austrian Niki Lauda.

But the protagonist of this new story is not Merzario, but Bearman. Because this Saturday, when the race will take place starting at 2pm in Argentina (Star + and Fox Sports), he will break two more records.

Ollie He will become the third youngest driver to race in a Grand Prix. The record for earliness is held by the Dutch Max Verstappenabsolute dominator of F1 in the last three seasons, who made his debut at 17 years and 166 days at the 2015 Australian GP. The second youngest, however, is another active man: the Canadian Lance Walkwho did it at 18 years and 148 days, again in Melbourne, but in 2017.

Yes, he will be the first man – or rather, boy – to compete for Ferrari. He will pulverize the record that the Mexican had Ricardo Rodriguezwhich he debuted with prancing Horse in the 1961 Italian GP, ​​when he was 19 years and 208 days old. The Aztec driver did not end well: three months before his 21st birthday he died in the 1962 Mexico City GP aboard a Lotus.

“What a great opportunity, of course, my best wishes for Carlos and his recovery. But it’s a great time and a great opportunity for me and I’m ready to make the most of it. A little disappointed with the standings, but in general I can’t be too disappointed,” said the Briton after his new Formula 1 debut.

“It was so close, so close”, he added regarding the margin by which he was eliminated in Q2 and which condemned him to start from 11th place on the grid, which will see Verstappen, once again, from pole. «That’s why he hurts a little more. “I made a mistake on my first lap, so I had to make the time on the second and the tires aren’t really the best there, so I’ll take my mistake and accept it,” he added after being just 32 thousandths of a second away from qualifying for the final round on his debut.

“Just bring the car back. Try to get some points, that would be an advantage, but increase the mileage and get some experience. It’s my first race, so I can’t wait too long, and this is a very good track too. difficult .” It ended with remarkable maturity.

How Oliver Bearman arrived at Ferrari

It was in late 2021 that Bearman became a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, before making his Formula 3 debut in 2022 with PREMA Racing. While the rookie had initially crossed the finish line in first place during his first race in Bahrain, a five-second penalty dropped him back to second, giving victory to Isaac Hadjar.

Bearman started karting when he was seven.he did it until the age of 14, when he entered the ADAC Formula 4 and Italian Formula 4 championships. In 2021 he was champion of both competitions. In 2022 he made the jump to FIA Formula 3 with the PREMA Racing and finished third in the competition after adding eight podiums, including a victory in the sprint race in Belgium.

Bearman remained at PREMA and enjoyed a solid first season in F2. The teenager achieved victories in the Sprint race and feature race in Baku, and achieved further victories in Barcelona and Monza. He finished the year sixth in the drivers’ standings.

However, this wasn’t Bearman’s only accomplishment in 2023. In October, the Briton had his first experience behind the wheel of an F1 car when he tested a 2021-spec Ferrari in Fiorano, Italy. Furthermore, he took part in two Free Practice 1 sessions for Haas in the final races of the 2023 Formula 1 season, and the young Briton had his first top-level weekend in Mexico before continuing with a trip to Abu Dhabi.

Ollie also returned to action with Haas in the 2023 post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit. A few weeks later, he was confirmed as reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas for 2024, when he will also compete in his second season in Formula 2.

In the opening category of Formula 1, where he usually competes against Argentinian Franco Colapinto, he finished 16th in both races of the first racing weekend of the year in Bahrain and took pole position for the Arabian GP Saudi, where he will now race in a much more powerful and legendary car.