During the third free practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz fell ill.
Despite his condition, Sainz completed all three practice sessions, unaware that he had appendicitis.
The driver underwent surgery on the same night, leading to 18-year-old Ferrari rookie Oliver Bearman taking his seat for the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.
Bearman previously appeared in free practice session 1 for Haas in 2023. The event in Jeddah marked his first F1 Grand Prix.
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This was pressure in itself, but for an 18-year-old rookie to make his debut with Ferrari was perhaps more challenging.
The race results were pretty much shocking for Ferrari and to the F1 world as Bearman, who started the race from 11th position ended up finishing 7th ahead of two great drivers in Formula One Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Oliver Bearman completed the most overtakes at the 2024 Saudi Arabia GP with 4, according to RacingPass.
Not bad for an 18-year-old making his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari. pic.twitter.com/Pjs6enCJXl
— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) March 11, 2024
He was even voted as the driver of the race by the audience after witnessing his performance.
Achieving such a rank at his debut, especially for an 18-year-old, was not normal for Bearman or the world. Let’s delve deeper into Bearman’s history and future to understand what skills he possesses, considering his participation at such a young age, his experience in Formula 2, and any other notable achievements.
Everything You Need To Know About Oliver Bearman The Phenomenon Behind F1’s Current Spotlight.
Early Life of Oliver Bearman
Oliver was born on May 8, 2005, in Chelmsford, sharing his birthday with the oldest driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso.
His journey in motorsport began with karting, just like every other driver on the F1 grid.
He finished in the top five of the British karting GP within his first year and then moved up the ranks, winning multiple titles along the way before he progressed to single-seater racing in 2020.
Bearman competed in ADAC F4 and the Italian F4 championships, securing a win and multiple podiums.
He shifted from the US Racing squad to Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2021 campaign, where he won both titles, clinching a total of 17 victories to his name.
Entry Into Ferrari’s Driver Academy.
At the end of 2021, Bearman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. He then began racing in Formula 3 with PREMA Racing in 2022.
In his first race in Bahrain, he initially finished in first place, but a penalty dropped him to second.
Despite this setback, Bearman achieved some good results as the season progressed and claimed his first win in Belgium.
Even though he didn’t have a great chance of winning the championship going into the last race in Monza, Bearman didn’t give up and engaged in a close battle with Zane Maloney and Victor Martins.
Where Martin won the race and Bearman ended up securing P3. This was enough for him to get all up to Formula 2 for 2023.
Formula 2 So Far and F1 Appearance
Remaining with PREMA, Bearman had a strong first campaign in F2. He won both the Sprint and Feature Races in Baku and also secured victories in Barcelona and Monza. He ended the year in sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
In addition to his success in F2, Bearman had another notable achievement in 2023. In October, he had his first experience driving an F1 car when he tested a 2021-spec Ferrari at Fiorano in Italy.
Completing 400 kilometers on track, Bearman expressed the emotional significance of the moment, mentioning that his parents were present, with his mother even shedding tears when he left the pits.
Following the test, Bearman participated in two FP1 sessions for Haas in the latter stages of the 2023 F1 season, making his debut F1 weekend appearance in Mexico and then in Abu Dhabi.
Formula 2 Drivers Earnings
It was revealed that F2 drivers do not receive a salary from the teams they drive for. Instead, these junior contenders get by using personal funds, family funding, or sponsorship.
In case of Bearman, after the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, many sponsors are expected to approach him due to his impressive debut performance in F1.
This could potentially earn him a seat in F1 for the 2025 season.
It is also assumed that junior F2 star drivers receive between $225 and $500 per day for racing.
Details of the rookie racers’ earnings from team bonuses, business interests, and investments have yet to be revealed to the public.
Gaurang is a writer at the SportsOrbit covering articles related to F1,Gaurang was 14 when he cared more about playing football than studying. But when COVID hit and he had to stay home, he discovered Formula 1. It immediately caught his interest. Since then, he’s been really into Formula 1, watching every race and learning all about it. He still loves football, but now he’s also a big fan of Formula 1, especially Lewis Hamilton. Even though he loves racing, he still looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol.