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Oliver Bearman, the 19-year-old rising star from the UK, recently shared an incredible behind-the-scenes story about his unexpected opportunity to race for Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Brit's incredible journey to securing a spot with the legendary team almost didn’t happen due to a series of unfortunate events but his quick thinking ultimately sealed the deal.
A Lucky Break: Bearman replaces Carlos Sainz at Saudi GP
Bearman had already caught the eye of the Formula 1 paddock during his debut appearances, and when Carlos Sainz was sidelined due to appendicitis, the young driver was thrust into the spotlight.
Despite the last-minute nature of his involvement, Bearman finished an impressive seventh place in Saudi Arabia, quickly elevating his stock within the racing world.
“I was at lunch,” Bearman recounted to Autosport, recalling the chain of events that nearly prevented his chance to race for Ferrari. “My manager Chris got a call from Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, but he had no credit left on his phone. Fred called him, and then it locked out straight away.”
Bearman continued, explaining how he saved the situation. “So, I had to call him Fred because, luckily, I’d filled up my SIM card. It probably cost my Dad a fortune that call. I said, ‘Fred, I've got 10 seconds, otherwise I’ll run out of data.’ Of course, I knew what was going on with Sainz’s appendicitis. I didn’t have time to laugh about it in the moment, but now I can laugh a lot about it.”
Bearman’s impressive F1 debut and further appearances
Despite his rookie status, Bearman made two more appearances for Ferrari in 2024. His first came during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Kevin Magnussen was banned from racing, and his second in the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Magnussen was sidelined due to illness. In Azerbaijan, Bearman impressed by finishing in the points, while in Brazil, he finished P12 in a rain-soaked race at Interlagos.
With such a promising start to his F1 career, Bearman enters the 2025 season as one of the most highly anticipated rookies, now preparing for his full-time role with Haas.
Haas Team impressed by Bearman’s resilience
Bearman’s journey into Formula 1 is marked not just by talent but also by his resilience in tough situations. During the Haas team's first-ever Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session, team principal Ayao Komatsu praised Bearman’s ability to handle adversity.
"His baseline was already very high. I’ve been impressed with how he reacts to adversity," Komatsu said to F1.com. He further explained how important it is to observe a driver’s response to challenges like reliability issues, and Bearman’s handling of such situations has exceeded expectations.
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